Breaking Darkness
by Tyrant19
Summary: A Mandalorian mercenary, a Sorrusian pickpocket, and the daughter of an Imperial Moff. Three unlikely companions share a deadly adventure when fate brings them together, in an effort to escape the wrath of one of Palpatine's Inquisitors.
1. Prologue: A Rebel Born

**Hello Everyone**

**This is my first actual fanfiction. It's a collaboration with my friend, who's known around here as moonlitroses733. We're both big Star Wars nuts, so we decided to make an attempt at writing in that galaxy far, far away, specifically during the time period of the original trilogy. We tried really hard to fit things into the Star Wars galaxy in a manner that wouldn't interfere with established continuity.**

**Disclaimer: The Star Wars Galaxy and everything Star Wars is property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm, LTD. No copyright infringement is intended or intentionally implied. **

Prologue

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

_The Empire ruled over the entire galaxy, shrouding it in near darkness._ No one was safe, not even the Grand Moff; Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader held the galaxy under their iron grip and refused to let release it. I, Naelah Tieres, the daughter of the Moff of the Namadii Sector, refused to be frightened of them—their power was temporary, of that much I was certain, and one day, when it started to crumble I would rise up against them.

I suppose you could say that I have a certain disregard for the rules, or as my mother liked to put it, I had completely no respect for being a disciplined child. In any event, I was easily the most rebellious of my family and that made my father very upset, as you would imagine. Not only did I have a disregard for the rules, but I certainly didn't have any patience with law enforcement either. In fact, if my father took me to meet Emperor Palpatine or Lord Vader I might just spit in their faces.

That was my nature and that's what gets me into a lot of trouble, but I have never gotten into trouble such as this.

"Hello Mother," I greeted as I walked into my mother's favorite part of our home: the kitchen. I grinned when I saw that she was making my favorite dessert dish: shurra fruit pie. "Don't mind if I do." I reached out and snagged a piece before she could successfully swat my arm away.

"Naelah, you know the rules."

I glanced up at her face, expecting to see a scowl of some sort, but instead I saw her eyes crinkling as she smiled at me. "Sorry Mother," I replied earnestly and hopped up on the counter. "Where's Father?" I took the first bite of the shurra fruit and glanced back at her.

"Last I knew he was in his office," She replied in a slightly darkened tone. After fixing me with her eyes she continued, "I think he had some business with the Empire."

My face darkened as I scowled. "The Empire? Again? What is Father talking about with them?"

"I don't ask your father about his business with the Empire," She answered shortly. "You know that it causes tensions between us, so I don't like to bring it up."

I bit my tongue as she snapped at me; of course I knew that the Empire was a sore topic of discussion in this family, but I couldn't resist bringing it up. Though I loved my father, I felt he was too involved in his business with the very people who were actually ruining the galaxy, but I couldn't tell him so because it would only create even more discord between all of us.

"On a lighter note, your sister is coming home tonight."

Pulled back from my thoughts, I looked at my mother incredulously. "You mean Anita is coming home? Is that what this is for?"

"Yes, that is what this is for," She replied with a smile on her face. "Anita decided tonight would make a perfect time for a visit."

My older sister, Anita, was the house's prodigy in everything she did, except relations with her family. Ever since she left and did whatever it was she did (I don't even know) she hadn't returned home so this occasion was extremely rare; even rarer still, she was staying for a whole meal, but it made me suspicious as to why.

"Is there another award she'd like to brag about?" I questioned sourly, tossing the rest of the shurra fruit away as it had gotten progressively bitter in my mouth. "If that's the truth then I'll be leaving."

"No," My mother responded sharply. "She just wants to spend some time with us before—" She stopped suddenly and glanced up at me to make sure I hadn't picked up on anything.

Too late. "Before what?"

Sighing, Mother set down her cooking materials and looked at me. "Anita's going to Coruscant," She informed me heavily. Apparently she didn't like the fact that her daughter was going so far away—or to the very center of what I referred to as tyranny.

"Wh-what?" I spluttered, choking on the remnants of the fruit in my mouth. "Why is she going _there_?"

"The best universities are located in Coruscant, Naelah," She responded wearily. "You know how your sister is."

"But why can't she go somewhere else?"

"I don't know Naelah, why don't you go ask your father or something? I have this pie to finish," She snapped with an air of finality in her tone.

I sighed agitatedly and hopped off the counter. "Fine _mother_."

"Tell him Anita's coming, I don't think he knows yet."

Clamping my jaw shut, I strode out of the room and made my way to my father's office. I decided to step outside for a little while, so I crossed the open courtyard in the middle of our mansion. Eventually, I meandered into the hallway where my father's office was located and stopped.

His door was open and there was a slice of faint, glimmering blue shining out of it. It sounded as though he was talking to someone important, but I wasn't entirely sure.

Being extra careful, I tip-toed to the door and peeked through the open crack and saw my father kneeling on the ground in front of a hologram image of who I believed to be Grand Moff Tarkin.

"…but these weapons…annihilating an entire planet?" My father's voice was suddenly timid and disbelieving. "That's impossible."

"It is anything but impossible, Moff Tieres. We already have a scaled prototype complete. The tests show it is all-too-real," Tarkin explained, as one would explain algebra to a first-year student. "Bilbringi needs to complete its supply of turbolasers to arm my station."

I gasped and felt my eyes bulge out of their sockets. What in the Force's name were they talking about? Annihilating an entire planet? They couldn't be serious!

"It-it will be done sir; I will make sure of it."

"Good. Your assistance is a help to my project, Moff. It may guarantee you a place of power in my Empire. With this weapon at my control, not even the Emperor can stand against me. The battlestation's turbolasers alone can hold off an armada."

I could take no more—it was all too overwhelming. Stepping backwards I bumped into something I hadn't realized was there before, but it didn't matter what it was because it tumbled over and crashed onto the floor drawing my father's attention.

"What was that?" Tarkin asked sharply. "No one can know of these plans!"

"Whoever it is will be taken care of—I assure you sir," My father answered absently as he stood and headed for the door.

I froze and saw his shadow pass over the crack in the door and I suddenly realized I couldn't be here. Even though he was my father, he would have no problem exterminating me for the betterment of the Empire. Feeling adrenaline course through my veins, I ran, but also knew that my father saw my back before I rounded the corner.

I knew he saw me and I knew nothing was going to get in the way of him executing me, not even my mother's pleas or the fact that I was his own flesh and blood.

So I ran, and I ran harder than I had ever done in my life until I was at my door. I shoved it open and flew to the closet where I stowed a few suitcases. Ripping them off the shelves, I threw them onto my bed and started for the dresser where I pulled out random bits of clothing and whatever I could. Finally filling it to the brim, I shut the case and slung it over my back.

Before I left, I stopped in front of the bedside table and pulled open the drawer. Inside was my holdout pistol I used for defensive purposes only, and this was as good as an incident like that. I grabbed it quickly and slid the drawer shut.

I ran to the door and glanced back at my room one last time before I shut the door behind me and fled.

And so I ran, ran for freedom, ran for my life and ran for something even more; something I didn't even know that I was running for yet.

But it didn't matter, because one day I knew I would hold up the promise I had once made to myself a long time ago: when the Empire starts to crumble, take it down.


	2. Chapter I: Twilight for a Criminal

Planet: Coruscant

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin

I find myself yet again in some dive, a foul-smelling bar far enough down the duracrete canyons of Coruscant to prevent the existence of natural sunlight for all but a few hours every day, tracking some scumbag whose life would mean nothing to me, if not for the sizable sum on his head. A professional mercenary has to eat, and bounty hunting is as good a way as any. It keeps the skill I had learned over a decade ago from a now-deceased father in the jungles of _Manda'yaim_, or in the Basic tongue, spoken widely across the Galaxy, Mandalore. Bounty hunting, on a good day, wouldn't be my choice career, but _Mando_ mercs are in high demand, possibly due to Boba Fett's reputation across the Galaxy, though that's just because he wears the armor. As far as I know, he's not a true _Mando_, though my father did speak of a Jango Fett that was Mandalore of our clans before the Clone Wars, but those days are long past and of little concern to me. If a client can pay well, I'll do the job. I'm good at hunting. Mandalorians are the best soldiers you can hire, and I do the best I can to prove it.

Anyways, I'm in a dark-as-hell dive somewhere in the lower part of Coruscant's vertical city, sipping from a bottle of Corellian ale, silently watching my target across the cantina. His name was Eres Dredcot, a scrawny little man that wouldn't seem all that suspicious or dangerous if I hadn't gotten an assignment from the local Imperial garrison commander to take this barve out. He and his little gang had somehow hijacked a secure shipment of E-11 blaster rifles and a small assault speeder recently, and, naturally, the Imperials weren't terribly happy about that. They wanted the shipment back, and the guy who stole it dead as that Tarkin guy the Imperial HoloVision news reporter was reporting on. Some stuck-up Grand Moff killed in a shuttle accident not long after an Imperial victory at Ord Biniir. Rumor had it that that little victory was being hailed more than usual to cover up some incident near Yavin, but I don't care. The little Rebellion that had been growing over the past few years was practically good as dead. Getting lucky once won't win the civil war that's been ripping the Galaxy apart. But discord is good for someone in my business. I watch that little scrawny scumbag laugh with his partners, a Devaronian and a sizable human, probably over an unheard joke or wise remark. My hand slid beneath the poncho covering my armor, hiding it from casual view, to the sawed-off Bryar rifle holstered at my side. The entire bar didn't need to know I was _Mando_. I'm not big on attracting undue attention to myself. I'm also not big on starting unnecessary brawls in an underworld dive, so I keep my weapon holstered. Patience is a virtue, and waiting a little longer will give me the opportunity to test out the MerrSonn M80 assault/sniper rifle I just bought with the credits earned over the past few hunts. That weapon will end up being worth the sum I paid, I could feel it.

I sit there for what feels like hours, switching between watching some correspondence on the Ord Biniir victory and the target on the other side of the bar. I was only halfway through my bottle of ale when Dredcot got up with his buddies and walked to the exit. I watched them go, and waited for the other two bodyguards that had occupied a booth by the door leave behind them; I then grabbed my gear bag and got up. Tossing a small-denomination cred chip to bartender, I walk out the door and into the perpetual gloom of the undercity.

This part of Coruscant was never well-lit. This far down, city maintenance workers didn't typically replace bulbs in the streetlights. It was constantly gloomy; the majority of the light came from gaudy signs advertising bars and nightclubs that probably appealed to those who dwelled this far down. Criminal activity was common here. I was careful to keep my gear bag close. Last thing I needed was for some pickpocket to somehow grab my assault rifle or helmet when I wasn't looking. I followed Dredcot down the main street, keeping my distance and stopping every now and then to stare at signs or the occasional shop window. I varied the side of the thoroughfare I walked on, hoping they wouldn't notice they had a tail, if they had sobered up long enough to look. I honestly don't think I'll have to worry about that; the Devaronian constantly tripped over his own feet. The horns on top of his head nearly speared Dredcot through the back when he had one of the more violent falls. That could have made my job easier, but where's the fun in that?

They walked for several minutes before turning off onto into a narrow alley. I watched and noted what doorway they had disappeared into, and then I continued down to the next alley. Turning off into the darkness, I walked down, watching for what I was looking for. I finally found it in the form of a ladder, leading up into the gloom. I mounted the ladder and climbed, scaling two rungs at a time. I passed a balcony after maybe four stories. Climbing higher, I stopped five feet above the balcony, and pushed myself off. I landed in a crouch on the balcony in a clatter of armor and rifle parts in the gear bag. I opened the bag and pulled out the helmet in the bag. I looked at it for a second, a traditional Mandalorian helmet with a T-shaped visor. The visor was framed by yellow-gold paint, but the rest was a dull, dark grey metal. I removed the poncho that had concealed my armor. Folding it and putting it into the gear bag, I grabbed the helmet and put it over my head.

The world was suddenly brighter, illuminated by the night-for-day vision built into the HUD of my helmet. A full 360-degree view greeted me, allowing me total awareness of my surroundings. I pulled out the rifle from the bag and quickly assembled it. I silently attached the barrel to the front of the blaster, unfolded the collapsing stock, and mounting the scope atop the blaster rifle. Activating the scope, it automatically linked itself to my HUD, allowing me a small view of the world through the scope of the rifle. I slung the sling over my neck, allowing the rifle to hang at my waist. I activated a wrist laser-torch, and I began cutting my way through the door leading into the building. A minute of cutting left a rectangular cut in the door, about six feet high. I kicked it in and stepped through into an even-deeper gloom. I lifted my rifle and stepped through. I scanned the room quickly, pointing the rifle in the direction I looked. I quickly switched over to infrared viewing on my HUD, ensuring there were no biological in the room

I went in expecting trouble. I got it in the form of a giant Trandoshan leaping at me from a side doorway. He overshot me, landing behind me. I could hear him snarling in the guttural language of the Trandoshan lizards. I brought my rifle up and squeezed off a burst of shots. It ripped into the Trandoshan's gut, turning the giant lizard into several hundred pounds of charred meat. I saw him drop, but I could swear I heard more snarling. I turned, and caught another Trandoshan's claw across my helmet's visor. I was knocked off my feet with the force of the blow, hitting the ground hard with a clatter of armor plating on the metal floor of the apartment. I reached for my rifle, finding I had lost it when I fell. I reached for my sidearm, still belted at my right thigh. The sawed-off Bryar rifle came up just as the Trandoshan raised his claws for another blow. I squeezed the trigger, launching several burst of plasma through the lizard's brain. He dropped, yet another few hundred pounds of burnt lizard flesh smashing to the ground. I brought up my Bryar, scanning the apartment with infrared, but the only thing that came up was the rapidly-cooling bodies of two dead lizards. I switched back to night-for-day and grabbed my rifle from the floor.

I left the now-smells-of-cooked-Trando apartment and went out into a hallway, following it away from the apartment I had blasted my way through and went to the other side of the building. I armed my cutting torch again and burnt through the doorway of another apartment. My infrared reported no one was inside this one, so I cut another rectangular, kicked it down, and marched in as if it were my home. I walked to the back and onto yet another balcony. Across this alley was the building my target had disappeared into. The building was dark, as all the buildings in this part of town were, and relatively windowless. There was, however, a small vent for the building's heating system a few stories up the roof. My IR was glowing with the heat given off from it. I fired my right gauntlet's liquid cable up to the roof, tugged on it to ensure it was secure, and I activated the winch. I was pulled off the balcony and over the gap of the alley way to the other building, and up. The cable pulled me to the lip of the roof; I grabbed the edge and hauled myself up. I found the grating for the vent and pulled it off with a sharp tug. It was big enough for my broad, armored shoulders to fit inside. I dropped in and slid down until the vent halted at an L-shaped junction. I crouched and pulled myself forward to the grating that was there. I pushed it out, then pulled myself out into a dark hallway.

I could hear distant voices, but they weren't anywhere nearby. I imagine this was the base of Dredcot's little gang: if I searched hard enough, I'd probably find a warehouse-like area with crates of pirated E-11 rifles and an assault speeder, plus other goodies. Pack-rats were like that.

I followed the voices, stealthily moving deeper into the building. I had my assault rifle raised, just in case someone got in my way. _Ib'tuur__jatne__tuur__ash'ad_I mutter to myself. It was a _Mando_ phrase that meant, "Today's a good day for someone else to die." I said that to myself a lot on hunts. It's almost like a tradition. It's pretty much the Phiht Piroc Code of Survival. I had a lot of Codes. It was my way of keeping my thoughts organized, I guess.

The voices led me to exactly what I was expecting: I found myself on a catwalk twenty feet above a large room, littered with crates of stolen weapons, a small flotilla of speeders, tools from various toolkits scattered around the room, and what looked a hell of a lot like an E-WEB tripod-mounted turret. Not good. The good news, however, was my target was no more than a hundred yards from me, down on the main floor of the chamber near what looked like an AAC-1 hovercraft. He was talking with a group of goons that included the Devaronian from earlier, a Zabrak, two humans, and what looked like a Lasat. I hadn't been noticed…. Yet.

Calmly, I switched my rifle over to its sniper setting. Instead of a flurry of laser bolts, it would shoot a single, high-powered shot over the distance of about a half-klick. At this distance, it was definitely overkill, but it was better to have a sure thing in my book. I raised the rifle, lined up my shot with the side of Dredcot's head. At this close range, his head took up the entire scope. I centered the crosshairs on the side of his head. I inhaled, then calmly exhaled. I tightened my finger on the trigger- and squeezed.

What happened next was nothing short of stunning. This was the first time I had ever used the M80 in a sniper capacity, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

To put it simply, Dredcot's head pretty much exploded. The whole side of his head was suddenly vaporized by the blaster shot. Smoke rose from what was left of his head, a reddish color from the blood that had been cauterized from the intense heat. There wasn't blood or gore really: his head just turned into crispy meat faster than it took to say it. Naturally, his goons were caught with their pants at their ankles. It's to be expected; they're a bunch of unorganized thugs who just had their leader blown away right in front of them. If I weren't a professional, I'd have been shocked too. Then their heads turned my way, everyone in the room, and caught sight of me, a grey-armored Mandalorian warrior perched on a catwalk with a sniper rifle, still smoking from the beautiful shot that had sent Eres Dredcot straight to Chaos. I waved and quickly ducked back into the doorway and took off as twenty laser shots flew through the space I had just occupied a moment ago. I swear I heard that E-WEB open up too. I'm glad I got out of range quick enough to avoid that. I sprinted to the vent and climbed in, pulling the grate back into place. I may be bold enough to blow a crime boss away in their own fortress, but I'm not stupid to stand around and become a moving target for a bunch of trigger-happy criminals, even if the majority of them couldn't hit the broad side of a Star Cruiser. I didn't survive this long being an idiot.

Before I zipline back up to the roof, I had to be sure of one thing: there was another, though much smaller, vent that led to what I assumed was the heater in the basement. The icing on the cake was soon at hand. I pulled out of my gear bag a small, dull-metal orb, studded with blinking red lights. I held a class-A thermal detonator, capable of leveling this entire building, and possibly parts of the buildings around it, and perhaps the whole block if the basement couldn't contain the blast. I armed the little bomb with a five-minute timer and dropped it into the shaft into the basement. I'm sure the Empire won't mind losing a shipment of blasters, and assault speeder, and what I'm going to assume was their E-WEB. They could afford more, and they'd probably be grateful a bunch of thugs were running around with weapons the Empire paid for. I launch my liquid cable again and zipped to the top of the air duct to the roof. I ran to the edge, hooked my grappling hook to the side of the building, and rappelled to the ground. At that point, I ran. I don't care who sees me now. I just want my _shebs_ clear of what will soon become a blazing-hot funeral pyre for Dredcot's criminal gang and their stolen blasters.


	3. Chapter II: An Uneasy Alliance

_Smoke churns, low-lights hiss, people mingle, criminals argue, this is the life of the scum of Coruscant—a now truly corrupted planet._ It wasn't that long ago that I was the same way—scavenging to live I mean. It wasn't that long ago that I had to run away from my home planet of Bilbringi, from my family, from my father.

I sit here now, stewing in past memories and swirling the straw on my drink, but not really doing anything about actually drinking it. I despise everything about Coruscant, yet I sit here in one of the scum bars on the lower levels, but that's the thing it's the _lower_ levels of Coruscant which means it isn't where the blasted Palpatine and Vader sit on their thrones.

Usually.

I've seen more and more Empire forces filtering into the lower sections of the capital planet, but I pay them no heed; they don't rule me as much as they like to think, rather it's _their_ masters who try and control everything about the galaxy.

Sighing in defeat, I push away the drink and stand up. I throw a few credits on the bar table and check my person, making sure everything is still in its place. You never know in these scum bars really—anyone could have slid the blaster out of my holster, or slipped live grenades into my pockets.

The surrounding streets weren't much better than the bar itself, but at least they allowed me to breathe in relatively fresh air—not that you could get much fresh air in the lower levels of Coruscant anyways. I sincerely wished that I could take the nearest speeder up to the top levels, but I knew that I was still being looked for.

Even though it had been months since I had overheard my father talking to the Grand Moff Tarkin—who was apparently dead now—about some planet-destroying object, the Empire was still on the lookout for me. I thought I had heard about this.

Suddenly I was hit with a reeking, terrible stench that wafted up into my nostrils and made me hack horribly. I picked up my speed and started running, but it seemed I was running _toward_ the thing that smelled badly. I froze and saw three distinct shapes moving toward me through the foggy gloom ahead. Apparently _that_ was what the awful smell was coming from—lower level Coruscant inhibitors tended to be that way.

I thought that the brawly sort of thuggish characters weren't going to bother with me; I figured they had some sort of deal going on somewhere else, but I was completely wrong. I heard muttering of some language I didn't understand, but the shift in movements in my direction made me believe what I wished wasn't true: these thugs were coming after me.

Not wanting to seem like I knew what was going on, I kept on going in the same direction I had been, but I slipped my hand behind me to pull out my blaster—or where I thought my blaster was. _Damn_, I thought angrily when my fingers enclosed over thin air. Feeling around desperately I realized my blaster had been jacked.

Breathing nervously, I slowed my pace down and started backtracking. I couldn't run into three men—big, brutish men that intended to hurt me and possibly rape me—unarmed. I whipped around, unable to remain calm any longer, and started walking quickly back the other way.

But the footsteps behind me started matching my pace.

_Dammit!_ I growled in my head and broke out into a run; it was no use trying to act cool now—they knew that I knew they were after me. Speeding up to a sprint, I darted back out into the open street—not that that would serve to be much better—but before I could even put a foot out into the gloomy light something curled around my arm and pulled me back into the darkness of the alleyway.

"Now, now my pretty," One of the alien life forms hissed in my ears as his arms curled around my waist.

"Let go of me!" I shouted and tried to push him away, but it proved futile as his arms curled around me even more. "Aghh! Gross!"

"Pass her over here!" One called out, reaching forward and trying to take me from the alien, but the alien refused to let me go.

I trembled in the alien's tentacle-like arms and felt the undesirable urge to puke well up within me. I squeezed my eyes shut against the harsh landscape and heard the other two lifeforms walk up to me, breathing heavily in anticipation.

"Back off—I saw her first! She's mine!" The alien who was holding me hissed angrily as he tightened his slimy arms around me even tighter, hoisting me into the air almost effortlessly. Suddenly, we were moving backwards and I felt the lifeform begin to tremble.

"Ack! _Hell!"_ One of the other men shouted and I heard a loud thump as if someone were being punched.

Unwillingly, my eyes snapped open and I witnessed a flash of silver and a gush of deep crimson blood, but it all happened to quickly I wasn't even sure that it had happened. Something in my brain clicked though, and I realized that maybe this guy was trying to save me, though I really couldn't see him due to the unnatural lighting. So, I started struggling against the alien that was still holding me. I could tell he was beginning to get scared of the guy coming toward us, after seeing him effortlessly take down one of his other thugs and punching the other's lights out.

"Back off!" The alien warned in a voice that shook with suppressed fear and I pushed against his arms as well as I could.

"Let go!" I whimpered, leaning forward and trying to get away from his filth. "Get off me!"

"I'll kill her!" He shouted in a panicking voice and without even hesitating, he pulled out something sharp and cool that rested on my throat.

Only when he pressed it against my throat and drew a tiny ribbon of blood did I realize that he was holding me at knife-point. _Fierfek,_ I thought and froze.

"Back it off buddy—she's mine and I got her first, you can just leave," The alien warned savagely, not even paying attention to the knife that could end my life in a moment. "Or I can kill you and we'll all lose the spoils."

I whimpered when the knife unexpectedly pressed against the wound already there; I didn't want to move a muscle for the fear of being sliced across the neck, because it seemed that this lifeform didn't have a good handle on his weaponry.

"Kiss my ass," The man replied and in a flash of silvery light I heard a choking sound behind me and felt something warm and wet splash onto the back of my neck before I was promptly dropped to the floor in a heap.

I coughed out the dust that I inhaled upon impact and looked up through my curtains of hair at the man standing five feet away from me. Suddenly I realized that maybe this man wasn't going to be a savior, and I started sliding away from him.

The man, whom I still couldn't make out very well, flew forward and snatched something off the dead thug's body and I recognized it was his knife, which he had probably sliced the thug's throat with.

_But how on earth did he kill him so fast?_ I wondered, and then sucked in my breath when the man stared at me. But before I could say a single word he turned on his heel and darted out of the alleyway.

I sat in the alleyway, stunned and staring straight ahead in silence. _What on earth just happened to me?_ I wondered, pulling my knees to my chest and sitting there for what seemed like forever.

Some time later, I made my way back to a comforting bar that I usually visited as of late. Though I was still shaken over the entire situation, I was able to process everything that was going on around me. Something about the situation made me think it was a mistake; there was something about it that made me wonder if it was even real, but there was no denying it. Someone was sliding a hand into my pocket as I sat at the bar and I intended to blow off who's ever head it was.

I whipped around on my bar stool and saw the face of a distinct male Sorrusian. I should have figured it would be one of the slippery creatures. "You might want to stop what you're doing."

"Too late," He replied with a triumphant smirk plastered on his face. He waved a few credits in my face and spun around.

The bloody thief pick-pocketed me! I pushed myself off the bar stool angrily and bolted for the door, tailing the stupid creature who thought it was a good idea to try and steal something from me of all people! I was being yelled at by the bartender, but I didn't really give a damn—all I cared about was blowing off that stupid Sorrusian's head.

I halted as soon as my foot touched the sidewalk outside of the bar's door and realized that I had no clue where the person went. My head whipped left and right and I finally saw the top of his nearly bald head glinting in the late afternoon streaks of light that made it down this low on the capital planet.

The chase must have gone on for forever, but I had no inclination of it going on that long. Something happened that made the Sorrusian slow down to a speed where I could easily sprint and leap up onto his back.

Which is exactly what I did—being small and light allowed me to fly in the air and land solidly on his back, making him crumble for a second, which was what I needed to get my leg twisted around his.

Just like I wanted, the slippery alien fell to the ground with me still on top of him. Instantly I put my hand behind me and pulled out the blaster that was still in its holster and aimed it at the Sorrusian's head. "I need that money so hand it over."

"Take it!" He shouted at me and shoved the credits back into my hand. "Holy kriff! Had I known you were going to put up a five mile chase I wouldn't have even picked you."

I smirked at him and slowly backed away. "Let's just say I'm not your average sixteen-year old girl, alright?" I shrugged and proceeded to put the credits back into my pocket. I turned and began walking back the way we had come, tucking my gun into its holster.

"Perhaps not, but you're not a born fighter either, are you?" He inquired with a voice that seemed to be tinged with amusement, but I couldn't be sure.

In an instant all of my limbs froze up and I couldn't make them move. _What does he know?_ Thoughts ran through my head like wildfire: _Is he a secret agent from the Empire? Does he know about my past? Did my father hire him?_

When my tongue finally unglued itself from the roof of my mouth, I stuttered out, "I—I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't," He replied laughingly. "But then again, you did manage to get away from a group of thugs without so much but that scratch on your neck."

My breath hitched in my throat. He did know something, but how did he—_Wait a minute, the man who saved me! —_ "How do you know about that?"

The Sorrusian stepped in front of me and caught my eyes with a smirk. "It's not everyday a Sorrusian is willing to save a human girl's life, but we don't like it when you're being attacked for no reason. You're children, and you shouldn't be taken advantage of like that."

It was my turn to offer a relieved smile, but my paranoia got to me again and I backed away from him. "Why didn't you take advantage of me?"

"Wasn't my last statement enough for you? Or how about this: I was trying to steal your money, but I wouldn't rape you," His eyes dropped, as all men's eyes do, but he lifted them again with a gleam of wicked amusement in his eye. "Not that I don't deny that—"

"How do I know that you wouldn't?" I demanded, cutting across his sly remark. My hand edged toward my back, but I didn't actually grab the blaster yet.

"Do you see me trying to do anything to you now?" He retorted. "If I was going to rape you I would have pulled you into a back alley—easily I might add—and done it already."

Clenching my teeth, I nodded briefly, understanding his point, and moved my hand away from the blaster. "Fine; if you're looking for gratitude, here it is: thank you, but," I cocked my head to the side and said, "You wouldn't have taken me down so easily."

"Well," He replied, accepting my challenge. "You seemed to be all of the damsel-in-distress when those idiotic thugs attacked you."

"Haven't you ever heard of feigning it?" I shot back. "And besides, I didn't have any weapons with me."

"You weren't doing any feigning."

"Well, I'm going to leave you with whatever you may believe about me—cut me down if I've ruined that belief—and hope that you have a nice life." I turned around and started to head away, but the filthy Sorrusian decided it would be alright to grab me after I was almost raped. I hissed in the back of my throat and spun around to face him. "Before you start touching me you could give me a name."

Our eyes locked in a battle of wills, but he finally tossed aside my arm and spat, "Fine, mine's Sterlo."

"Sterlo," I repeated, tasting the unfamiliar name on my tongue. "Interesting…well, I'm Naelah." After waiting for a reply and receiving none, I shook my head wearily and looked up at the Sorrusian whose name was Sterlo.

"Naelah," He repeated with the same amount of uncertainty as I had shown him. "Interesting…"

"What?" I demanded, hearing the hinting of humor in his voice. "You aren't going to latch yourself onto me like a lapdog, are you? I really don't have time for a _dog_," I sneered, hoping to make a point.

"Latch onto you? Oh no, I'm no dog, that's for sure, and I don't need to attach myself to a naïve sixteen-year-old girl."

My mouth dropped in shock as he dished out the insult. "I've seen a lot more than many girls my age—and I can handle myself, thank you very much." Staring determinedly at him, I stood up to my full height and said, "At least I don't have to pick-pocket to earn a living."

Not even reeling from the verbal slap, Sterlo folded his arms over his chest and said, "How do you survive, Naelah? My first guess would have been prostitution, but seeing you rreaction to the possibility of rape makes me think otherwise."

"I beg your pardon? I am _not_ a filthy whore and I am most certainly no stealing _mutt_."

"Are you still going on with that lapdog idea? What do I have to do to show you that I'm _not_ one?"

"Why are you still here?" I shot back, hoping to finally get him away from me.

"If you haven't noticed, there are about a million other thugs in this section of Coruscant; you just walked into the worst part of this world, and I wouldn't be surprised that if you walked down that street on your own, about three other men would try their hand at rape too."

"You're…protecting me?" Everything I had previously thought about the slippery fiend seemed to fade out of my mind as I realized that maybe he wasn't as bad as I believed.

"If that's what standing here and arguing with you is called, then yes."

"Let's get out of this neighborhood then."

"That might just be a good idea."

I turned around and starting walking about a foot in front of Sterlo, glancing back at him only once and realizing that maybe this would be alright. Maybe it wasn't so bad to have someone else with me on this escape from hell. Maybe he would end up being just like me.

Maybe.


	4. Chapter III: A Hunter's Mission

It was times like this when I hated the hellhole that was Coruscant. The crowds of people were often beneficial, making disappearing into the throng easy, especially when attempting to shake pursuit or avoid Imperial officials. Other times, it proved to be a curse. The explosion of Dredcot's munitions dump in the lower levels had stirred up a womp rat's nest of Imperial Army troops, and even a platoon of stormtroopers. Last thing I needed to do was get caught and linked with the destruction of Imperial military property. My assignment was pretty hush-hush, so an Army lieutenant would probably be more inclined to believe that I was an enemy of the glorious Empire, rather than a mercenary hired to take care of Dredcot and the munitions by any means necessary. Trigger-happy Army troops aren't the way to finish off my night.

I had managed to shove a group of Arkonans out of my way, just making it to the public turbolift to the higher levels. My ship, a Skipray Blastboat dubbed _Hell's Call_, waited on a rented landing platform near the government district. I wanted to get off and away from Imperial City before dawn. I punched the button that would take me to the level of the platform. From there, it hopefully would be a short walk to my ship, and to freedom.

It's always at an inconvenient time when someone tries to get in touch with you by comlink. Right now couldn't have been more inconvenient. The corner of my helmet's visor began blinking with a glaring red light, signaling an incoming transmission. I opened the link, silently hoping it wasn't the Army trying to triangulate my position by comlink. I left it on voice-only for transmission, in case someone managed to hack a supposedly secure signal and got a nice shot of my face for an Empire's Most Wanted poster. The man on the other end, however, left his on view mode. I was greeted with the sight of a older man, possibly in his late forties, with graying hair and harsh blue eyes that contrasted with his darker eyebrows. He wore the uniform of an Imperial Moff, one of Palpatine's sector governors. Their authority had recently expanded, due to the dismissal of the Imperial Senate. Men like him now had complete control of their sectors. Last thing I needed was pomp attitude. Hopefully he wouldn't give me any.

"Greetings, Phiht Piroc," the man began. "I'm Moff Tieres of Bilbringi. I have a job I require someone of your skills to handle. A few years ago, my daughter Naelah disappeared, leaving no trace of her whereabouts. You may have heard this on Imperial HoloVision not long after the incident." I did, in fact, recall this incident. My understanding was she ran away, frightened by something she had seen in her father's office.

"I have heard of the incident, yes. It's a big galaxy, Governor. She's probably long gone by now, if not dead."

"On the contrary, Mandalorian, I have recently received word from an anonymous informant that Naelah is very much alive. She was recently sighted in the Dancing Ronto cantina on Coruscant. I've only been to Imperial City on a few occasions, so I'm not familiar with the planet. I had hoped you would be willing to travel to the planet to investigate this for me. You will, of course, be paid well."

"Very well. My schedule can fit it in, I believe." He obviously didn't know where I was. I'll keep that to myself for the moment. "I will require as recent a holo of her you can obtain. You can transmit it to thru this link."

The Moff nodded. "I can do that. I wish words could convey the gratitude I feel for your assistance. Please, try to keep her alive. I understand you have a reputation of-"

"Of getting the job done," I cut him off. "If you want her alive, you'll have her alive. It's a rather simple concept, Governor. I don't blast things for the hell of it." I didn't need to mention that not even a standard hour ago, I had blown a munitions dump to Corellia. Probably wouldn't help me out.

"I understand. Thank you in advance, hunter."

"You mentioned payment, I believe. What is the figure for the job?"

"Ah. Yes." He named a figure. It's a good thing he couldn't see my eyes bulge. With that kind of price…

"You don't seem to want her found." Maybe I could squeeze a few more credits out of him.

The governor shook his head. "I can't afford any more, Mandalorian. That amount is practically all of my life's savings I have left."

"Very well. I'll see what I can do." I cut the link and hit another button on the turbolift. The lift reversed, shooting down towards the undercity.

The Dancing Ronto was dimly lit. It was a smart choice for a fugitive on the run. The dim lighting, coupled with a staff that didn't care who came in their doors, even underage girls, as long as the customer was paying, made it a wise choice for someone who didn't want to be found. I pushed my way past several sentient beings watching viewscreens broadcasting sports events from across the Galaxy. I slid between a massive, hairy Wookiee and a horn-headed Zabrak to the bar. A Bith was behind the bar, cleaning a few glasses. They didn't look the least-bit sanitary at all. The black-eyed alien starred at my helmeted visage, then asked simply, "What can I get for you?"

"I'll take a Corellian Ale," my voice rumbled from within my helmet. I looked at the glasses the Bith held. "Bottled, please." A bottle quickly appeared in front of me. I popped the top off with my thumb. I removed my helmet and put it on the bar as I took a seat at one of the stools. Lifting the bottle to my lips, I took a small sip. "Perhaps you can help me," I said to the Bith, who was futilely scrubbing at the glasses in his hands. "I'm looking for someone."

The alien's featureless eyes stared back at me. "A lot of people come through here. Perhaps you could narrow it down." His gaze bored into my gray eyes. "Perhaps a few credits could refresh my memory, as well."

I held his gaze, unblinking. "That'd depend on the information you're going to give me. I'm looking for this girl." I produced a holo of Naelah, scanned from my helmet onto a small holocard. "Her name is Naelah Tieres. She's a human female, age sixteen, approximately 1.56 meters in height. She apparently was here within the past twenty four hours." I patted the blaster belted at my waist. "I think your information will be free."

This alien didn't seem to take the hint. "I get that all the time. I'm not afraid of you."

"Bad mistake, buddy. I'm a Mandalorian. We don't make threats. We make promises. Am I clear enough for you?"

He got it that time. "She was here last night. She had ordered a drink, but barely had anything of it. She left around 2130 local time. She's a regular here, so she'll be here either tonight or tomorrow."

I nodded, then put my helmet back on my head. In some ways, the helmet was more menacing than even the harshest glare I could throw at someone. As I got up, I tossed a small coin onto the bar. "Keep the change," I muttered as I walked out the door and into the night.

My plan was simple: stakeout the bar and wait for Naelah to return. I would have to find something a little less conspicuous than my battle armor. I went into a back alley and quickly stripped the majority of my armor from the jumpsuit underneath. I kept the chest plates in place, covering it with a dirty shirt from my pack. I rolled up the sleeves up the jumpsuit so they were hidden under the short sleeves of my shirt. I pulled a vest out and pulled it on as well. I kept my weapon belted at my side. That wasn't unusual in this part of town. Everything else I put into my bag.

It was some time before I saw the Bith leave the bar, his shift done. He had been the only one to see my face, and I couldn't have him compromise me. I went back into the bar. Much of the clientele had changed in the past few hours. The bar was now kept by a grouchy-looking human. I went in, ordered another Corellian ale from the bartender, and took a seat in the back corner of the bar. I quietly drank from the bottle, trying to draw as little attention to me as possible in this dive.

I somehow managed to draw the attention of a trio of thugs near the bar. One kept sizing me up, looking like he was itching for a fight. Another looked almost uneasy, fingering his blaster every few seconds, as if he was unsure it'd be there if he needed it. The third looked like he wanted to come over to my table, kick it over, and stick that knife he kept tossing up in the air in my ribs. Amusing. I returned their glares, coldly sizing them up in return. If it went to combat, I had no doubt that I'd walk away. Those three most likely wouldn't share that fortune. But perhaps they'd play it safe and keep to themselves, with luck.

There was no such thing as luck.

The two that had been glancing me over walked over to me, the one still flicking a knife up and down, swaggering like they were large and in charge of the bar. The third, the one that struck me as very uneasy, followed at a distance, seemingly more hesitant about attacking a newcomer to their hangout.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The first one, the one who looked like he ached for a fight, spoke. He was the largest of the three, broad-shouldered and made of pure muscle. He was a bit shorter than his companions, but his muscle mass compensated for it.

"I dunno, Jredge, but it looks like our friend here could use a lesson in manners." The one with the knife had a lower voice, almost menacing. He was leaner than the first, and a little over a half-foot taller. He was still messing around with that damn knife. One would think he'd get bored after a while. "Why don't we start by introducing ourselves, newcomer. We're members of the Hawkbat's Blood gang. We own this street, and this bar. You better show some manners and pay our fee for sitting in our bar."

"Yuro," the uneasy one, the skinniest and tallest of the three, he appeared to be a Near-Human of sorts. His eyes were a vivid green, unnaturally green. "I don't think he's the guy to be roughing up for credits. He looks mean."

"I'll show him mean, Vert." The first reached for a holstered DL-44 blaster pistol. A nasty weapon, not something I wanted to tangle with in close quarters. He probably was a sucky shot, but thugs could get just as lucky as the best soldier.

I spoke. "Jredge, I wouldn't pull that blaster if I were you. Half-credit thugs such as yourself aren't much of fight for a Mandalorian."

The Near-Human, Vert, seemed to pale in the dim light of the bar at the word 'Mandalorian'. The one with the knife, Yuro, took a visible step back. The knife finally stopped flipping through the air. Jredge, the one with more muscle than brain, remained as he was. He smirked. "I doubt some slime-scraper scum like you is a Mandalorian. Where's your armor? Mandalorians wear armor."

"We do." My voice seemed to be intimidating Vert, as it typically did with weaker-willed opponents. He kept shrinking back, hands in clear sight. Smart move. "I don't think I need armor to crush you like an insect, Hawkbat. Why don't you go back to your drink, before this gets ugly."

Vert was all too happy to comply. He practically ran back to the bar. Surprisingly, Yuro followed, though he was much more cautious about it. He glanced back at me as he walked, as if to ensure I hadn't moved. Jredge, however, must have had some sort of muscle growth take over his brain. The scumbag kept at it. "I own this bar, Mandalorian. You had better pay to be here." His blaster had cleared his holster. He kept it at his side for the moment. It was only a matter of time before he brought it up. I had some time still. "Fifty credits."

"It's not going to happen, blaster or not. Go back to your buddies, and your drink. Final warning." My hand had fallen to the grip of my Bryar, but the thug didn't see that. The table hid that from his view. I slowly pulled the blaster out until it was clear of the holster.

"I'm leaving when you give me my fifty credits. No sooner."

"I warned you." With that, I kicked up, flipping the table into the air and down on Jredge's foot. He hollered in pain, his concentration momentarily lost. The last thing he felt was a well-placed blaster bolt burn through his chest. He fell backward, foot still pinned by the heavy table. He was dead. No one survives a Bryar's blaster bolt at that close a range.

Activity in the bar came to a complete standstill. Everyone had stopped drinking, talking, and playing sabacc games to stare at the body lying crumpled on the floor. I lifted the table back to its original position, then sat back down and took a gulp of my drink, as if nothing had happened. I continued to sip my drink until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, and then felt a metal cylinder, no doubt a blaster, press against my temple. A voice behind me rumbled, "It's time for you to leave, bud." Grabbing my gear bag, I calmly stood up and walked to the door, the bouncer tailing behind me.

It had started to rain, and still no sign of Naelah Tieres. I was back in my armor suit, the gunmetal gray of the Mandalorian iron reflecting little light in the gloom of the alley. The downpour of rain pinged on the armor suit, making a cacophony of noise in addition to the noise of the foot traffic of Coruscant's undercity. Even in the rain, rare on Coruscant's artificially-controlled surface, didn't stop the trillions of sentients from carrying out their daily work.

I continued to scan the crowd with my helmet's identity profiler. It was programmed with Naelah's picture and some statistics on her, including last-known height, weight, and hair color. My HUD was alive with the profiler's scanning of individual people in the traffic going past the bar. No one matching her description had gone by in the past three hours since I had been forcibly removed from the bar. I was just about ready to pack it up for the evening and head back to the _Hell's Call_. I didn't feel like renting a room in a flophouse down here, much less sleep in the trash in this alley.

I stepped out of the alley, every intention of heading back to my ship, when the HUD profiler pinged. It had found a probable match for Naelah Tieres. I turned toward the bar and saw her, a short girl throwing back a hood to reveal long, flowing brown hair, pulled back tightly. She appeared to be accompanied by a tall, bald Human male. He was nearly my height, with an athlete's build. Friend, or bodyguard? The two entered the bar. Keeping my helmet on, I followed.

In the past few hours, only the clientele of The Dancing Ronto had changed. It was louder, rowdier, and more packed than earlier this evening. Sports events were playing on the HoloVision viewers on the walls. There were several card games going on around the bar. It was very easy to hide in this sort of environment. Nevertheless, my helmet's HUD found Naelah. She and her escort had taken a seat in a back corner, not far from where I had sat earlier. I sat down on the opposite side of the room, where I could keep an eye on the duo. I wanted to avoid a conflict with the athletic man and the bouncer if possible. Maybe Naelah would have to use the refresher, or her escort would choke on an appetizer, or something.

I waited some time before my opportunity presented itself. Naelah's escort had risen from the table and headed in the direction of the bar, no doubt to get drinks for him and his friend. I rose as well, but headed toward the table Naelah sat at, now all alone. She didn't seem to notice me until I had sat at her table. I pulled out a chair, moved closer to her, and seated myself.

"Excuse me, but can I help you?" Her attitude betrayed her noble upbringing, and showed she needed an attitude adjustment. Her daddy could take care of that.

"If fact, you can," my voice rumbled. I heard her gasp as my blaster pistol pressed into her stomach. "Your father is looking for you. You're going to come quietly, or I'll finish our business quickly." She got the hint, telling by the pale expression on her face. She quietly stood up, pushed in her chair, and walked to the door.

"Don't try alerting your friend. I'm more trouble than it's worth. Run, and I'll make sure your legs don't ever work properly again. Clear?"

The young girl in front of me nodded. I followed her out the door, my blaster at her back, and into the night.


	5. Chapter IV: An Agent of Darkness

Chapter 3—

**Hyperspace**

_I don't know how much time had passed, or how I ended up in the brig of whatever ship this was, but all I knew was that my back ached, my head throbbed and my breathing was labored. _All I could remember was the helmet of a Mandalorian warrior and the hiss of his voice in my face and the sharp jab of the point of his gun in my back. I wasn't alone in the bar he found me in either; I was with the new Sorrusian that tried to jack a couple of credits from me.

Sighing angrily, I pushed myself off the ground and promptly fell under again as a wave of nausea passed over me, leaving my muscles quavering and head pounding. Groaning, I leaned against the cool durasteel walls of the brig and hoped that I would, in some way, be able to get out of whatever issue I was in.

Looking around the tiny room, I realized that this wasn't some large ship like I had previously thought, in fact, it was probably on a small transport of some sort, but I couldn't be too sure. So, with nothing better to do, I slid back down the wall and brought my knees to my chest, hoping that I would be able to get out of this hell-hold in some way, and hopefully it would be soon.

**Coruscant**

Swirling the contents of my drink around in the dirtied glass, I sat on a rickety bar stool that faced the entrance to what Naelah told me was her usual spot. Curiously, she had disappeared a few minutes ago and I thought she went to the ladies' room, but I could hardly say that now; at least twenty standard minutes had passed since I'd last seen her, and I knew for a fact that even ladies don't take _that_ long.

Worry had not really started to cross my mind until another ten minutes had passed by. Abandoning the remnants of my drink, I decided to go for a little jaunt back to the ladies' room to make sure that she wasn't back there, but even on my way back there I decided she wouldn't have staked it out in a ladies' room. She might have been young, but she was smart enough to run from me if she truly felt threatened; after all, she did outrun me back on the street.

Remembering the chase with a wry grin, I spun around and made my way out of Naelah's preferred bar.

Out on the streets I saw the sun slowly dipping between the buildings around me and concluded it was almost sunset, which meant that all the bad things of the lower levels of Coruscant would be popping out. Frowning worriedly, I realized that Naelah could very well be out here somewhere, and something—anything—could take a sixteen-year-old girl from the streets.

Cursing, my eyes darted back and forth on the streets as another thought came into my mind.

_What if she had been kidnapped?_

**Hyperspace**

I sat at the controls of the _Hell's Call_, sitting slightly leaned back in the pilot's seat. My helmet sat on the empty copilot seat. I enjoyed the cool air of the climate-controlled cabin, as well as the satisfaction of a nearly-completed job. All I had to do was bring the girl to Bilbringi, specifically to her father, and collect my pay. For such an easy assignment, the Moff sure did pay well.

Speaking of the Moff, I probably should inform him that I am en route to his little planet, with his cargo in tow. I reached over and grabbed my helmet. Putting it on my head, I opened the link the grateful Governor had given me to contact him. It was his personal link, should it be necessary to contact him at odd hours when he wasn't in his office. I opened the link and waited for his response.

**Bilbringi orbit**

The _Imperial_-class Star Destroyer _Dark Force _sat in a triangular formation with two Star Destroyers of the older _Victory_-class. To the _Dark Force_'s starboard side floated the _Fallen Hope_, while, to port, sat the _Master of Death_. These massive warships formed the small fleet of one of Palpatine's Dark Side Elite, who has recently taken an interest in the Moff of the Namadii sector. The Moff stood on the bridge of the flagship, beside a shorter figure, robed in dark maroon garments that hid the figure beneath. The Moff knew little of the Dark Sider, not even its name. His personal comlink beeped. Politely excusing himself, he went to the back of the bridge and opened the incoming link.

"Moff Tieres here," he spoke quietly. He had a feeling he didn't want the Destroyer's command crew overhearing this call.

"Governor, I have your daughter." Tieres recognized the dark voice of Phiht Piroc on the other end. The Mandalorian hunter was quick with his work, indeed.

"That's great news!" His voice was raised slightly. "I don't have much more time to speak, as I'm in the middle of a meeting, but I look forward to seeing her soon."

"Of course." The link cut, leaving Tieres to return to the pressing business he had with the Imperial Inquisitor. He walked back down the command walkway of the Star Destroyer, returning to the side of the mysterious red-robed figure.

The hooded figure's gaze turned for a brief second to the Moff. Tieres could swear he glimpsed glowing yellow eyes in the hood's dark recesses, but he couldn't tell before the Inquistor turned to look out the viewport at the stars. "She's been found," the Inquistor's soft voice mewed from within the hood.

"Yes, Inquistor. She should be arriving any time now."

"Good. We have much to discuss before then, Moff Tieres."

**Coruscant**

It was now pitch black in the lower levels of the capitol planet and the only light that managed to cut through the inky darkness was that of apartment buildings, but even that was only a grimy trickle of light. I walked onward, invisible to everyone but myself, and realized that I had lost Naelah; the one girl who actually looked at me as though I were her equal, not a dirt poor, stinking thief. I sighed and wondered where she had gone, but that line of thought didn't last long.

Up ahead, I noticed two hunched figures in the darkness. Cursing under my breath, I realized what they were sitting there for. In moments, if I continued up the path I was heading they would jump me and slice my throat, and then take what little money I had.

Luckily, I had not drawn their attention so I swiftly headed into a nearby alleyway and walked up it as quickly as possible. The alleyway cut across a row of houses, and soon I was on a completely different street. This one was more alive than the other street, and I realized that I must be getting close to the heart of Lower Level Coruscant.

Not really paying attention to where I was going, I ended up feeling a smaller body collide with my own, and looking down I noticed a girl with long brown hair swept up in a ponytail. My heart jumped at the possibility— "Naelah?"

The girl looked up at me with frightened eyes. Shaking her head, she said, "No I'm…wait, how do you know my sister?"

As I looked more closely at her, I saw that she was indeed not the same girl I ran into a little while ago. This girl was more of a woman, with a slightly sharper face and more defined features. Her eyes looked as though they would hold wisdom, but at the moment they were wide with fear. Swallowing my disappointment, I managed to smile tightly at the woman before me. "Did your sister go off to find you?" Relief started seeping into my voice, but I couldn't be too sure…

"Why would she do that? She _hates_ Coruscant," She said with a little bit of a slur touching her words. I could assume that she had been out partying earlier, and got lost on the way home.

"Um…well she's my girlfriend and I think she's angry with me." I searched my mind for the best possible explanation about how I knew this woman's sister, but all I could come up with was: "I think she went home because of our argument."

"Home?" The girl repeated drunkenly, and I noticed that her jaw was slightly slack. "Back to Bilbringi? Why would she do that?"

"I…to Bilbringi?" _Could she have possibly gone all the way home? _My heart jumped at the thought, but I still remained unsure if that was true. "Would she go home?"

"Well _I_ haven't seen Naelah in ages, but I know that she wouldn't stay in Coruscant very long, even if her life was dependent on it. She _despises_ the capitol planet." The girl smirked in my direction and cocked her head. "So I didn't even know little Naelah had a boyfriend…you look pretty old to be hers."

"I'm just worried about her."

"Ok," The girl responded cockily. "If you wanna catch her she's probably in Bilbringi, but I think she ran from home…I just remember Dad was furious about it…I dunno," She was beginning to lose whatever grip on reality she had.

"Here, why don't I take you back to where you belong?" I offered.

"The University," She nodded tiredly and leaned on me. "Name's Anita by the way, tell Naelah I said hi when you see her." And without another word the girl, who I now knew as Anita, slumped forward and I caught her in my arms.

This was going to be a long night.

**Bilbringi Orbit- Skipray Blastboat **_**Hell's Call**_

Nothing I could possibly do would pull me out of this situation. I sat stubbornly in the little cell of a room I had unwillingly and unknowingly been thrown into. I stared at the wall, wondering where in the galaxy I was, and more importantly, how I was going to get out of this place.

Letting my head fall back against the cool steel wall of the cell, my mind wandered back to those months prior to my escape. I thought about my father especially, and what he ended up doing about me, for I had not seen any special reports about my absence. Strangely enough, my sister had also come to mind. I had not thought about her in years—ever since she had so readily departed our home of Bilbringi and left my mother in ruins. While I wondered about her, I heard a noise in the distance indicating something changing on the ship.

I stood up almost immediately and was prepared to spring into action, but if this guy had taken me down once he would have no problem taking me down once again. I bit my cheek with this knowledge and waited on the balls of my feet, hoping and praying that I wouldn't be thrown into some torture cell, or become one of the horror stories I had heard about so often in my travels.

A few minutes had passed and I felt the ship move jerkily underneath my feet and I realized we were stopping somewhere, though I had no idea where. Tensing in anticipation, I waited for the locking mechanism of the door to slide back. Through the past couple of years I had done alright with hand-to-hand combat, though I preferred having a blaster ready in my hand. This Mandalorian warrior though…well I didn't know how long a sixteen year old girl would be able to stand up to him. He did already knock me out once, and I really didn't want it to happen again.

Gritting my teeth, I heard the shuffling of feet outside the cell door and heard a loud thump. Breathing quickly now, I felt my heart begin to race as adrenaline flooded into my veins. This was it, if I could just slide past him and run for it…

The door slid open, revealing the tall, muscular form of the Mandalorian warrior. His gunmetal gray armor was covered in battle scars, showing that he had been in a lot of battles through the years, and, as with all Mandalorians, he was covered in weaponry. I looked at his face, which was covered by a helmet that bore a yellow, T-shaped visor, and tried to get a look at the face underneath, but it was impossible.

Though he pulled no weapons, even though he was covered in them, I instantly felt my skin crawl at his appearance. I could very well die here and nobody would know. Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat, I tried to stare defiantly at the person before me, but he made it increasingly difficult. Despite my promise to not relent any ground to this warrior, I felt my feet move backwards of their own accord and suddenly I was backed into a wall with no where to escape.

Swallowing again, I watched him move in and decided that it was now or never; if I wanted to live I would have to attack this warrior regardless of how I felt. So, I rolled onto the balls of my feet and launched forward at him, despite my weightlessness compared to him, I managed to at least make him stumble backwards. I fell back onto my feet and put my hands in front of me in a guarding position, waiting for him to strike back, but he didn't.

Taking advantage of that, I ran at him again and tried desperately to make him feel pain despite the armor on his body; I winced in pain as I felt my knuckles turn raw with the effort. Finally, I fell back to the floor and swept my legs around to try and knock him to the floor, but all he did was jump over them easily.

What happened next moved so quickly I wasn't even aware of what was happening until I was hefted into the air and slammed into the nearest wall. Feeling his hand tighten around my throat, I tried to remove it using my fingers, but it was impossible. I was left struggling for air as he continued to choke me. Looking directly into his mask with pleading eyes, I tried to tell him to stop, but he didn't.

Suddenly, though, I was dropped to the floor and something hard hit my head. I don't know what it was, but all I remember was pain spreading out like a spider web and my vision going back. The last thing I saw was the Mandalorian's helmet-covered face looking down at me as I lost sense of everything around me.

"_Fierfek,_" I cursed. I hadn't expected that. The little teenage brat had actually tried to attack me. Most beings wouldn't even try taking a swing at a Mandalorian. Perhaps she was braver than I had initially thought. I wasn't going to be taken by surprise like that again.

Naelah lay on the deck of the small cabin I had locked her in, pretty unconscious. I didn't want to choke her or anything, but captives with fiery attitudes often left little choice in the matter. She wouldn't be making trouble for a while. Still silently cursing, I sealed the door and returned to the cockpit and seated myself at the controls. Activating the comlink, I hailed Bilbringi's traffic control.

"Bilbringi, this is the GAT-12j Skipray Blastboat _Hell's Call_, requesting permission to land at the Governor's Residence, priority code Alpha-Bravo-Tango."

"_Hell's Call_," came the reply, "this is Bilbringi Control. You are to maintain your present course along Vector 12-14-23. Deviation from the vector given will authorize the authorities to open fire. Confirm receipt of transmission."

I ran a quick course calculation. That vector wouldn't take me down to the Governor's residence. It didn't even take me planetside. That's when I noticed a small formation of Star Destroyers, pretty much bearing down on me from that vector. "Control, this is _Hell's Call_. I have a priority passenger for Moff Tieres-"

"The Moff is aware of your arrival, as is the _Dark Force_ battle group. You will be taken aboard the _Imperial_-class Star Destroyer _Dark Force_. You will be briefed from there. Straying from the assigned vector will give a bunch of trigger-happy gunners authorization to blast your little Skipray to oblivion. Control out."

I cursed. No one said anything about Imperials or Star Destroyers or _di'kutla_ Control personnel. I wasn't a _di'kut_ myself, so I corrected the _Hell's Call_ along the vector that would bring me aboard one of the most powerful warships in the Imperial Starfleet. I looked at my chrono and cursed again. It was only 0700 local time. This was going to be one long, hellish day. And, damn it, I really hate surprises.

**Bilbringi Orbit- **_**Imperial-**_**class Star Destroyer **_**Dark Force**_

"Madam Inquisitor, the bounty hunter has arrived, carrying a priority passenger for the Governor." Captain Gronnan was a tall man, impeccably dressed in the charcoal gray uniform of a Starfleet commander. "They're being brought aboard as we speak."

The Captain couldn't see my eyes under the maroon hood I wore. It was better that way. Best to keep the subordinates wondering. "Very good, Captain. Have a detachment from the 703rd escort our guests to the bridge conference room. I'd like to speak with them before we send the hunter on his way."

Gronnan nodded. "Very good, Madam." He turned to one of the crew members in the pits alongside the command walkway of the Star Destroyer's bridge. "Lieutenant, comm down to the barracks and get the Master Sergeant of the 703rd battalion to detail a platoon to escort duty on the hangar deck. They're to escort our guests to the bridge."

"Yes sir." The lieutenant turned and sent the order down to the barracks deck, as ordered. Everything functioned as it should aboard the _Dark Force_. I expect nothing less. I swept off the bridge to the conference room in the aft of the tower. I was eager to meet our guests. Most eager.

Pissed was hardly the word I would have used right now. I was being escorted through one of the Empire's massive Star Destroyers by a platoon of white-armored Stormtroopers, as faceless as I was behind the skull-like helmets. We were being brought to the bridge deck to meet with the squadron's commander. I had heard rumors of the _Dark Force_. It was a scourge of the Outer Rim territories, crushing minor insurrections like small insects. Supposedly the commander could wield the Force, but that was a bunch of myth. There weren't any Force-users left in the Galaxy, except for Darth Vader. That monstrous blend of man and machine wasn't here though. He didn't use anything smaller than a Star Dreadnought for his flagship.

Twenty minutes, three turbolifts, thirty decks, some twenty corridors and a few hatchways later, we were escorted into a conference room in the Star Destroyer's massive conning tower. The Stormtrooper platoon waited outside, presumably to escort us away once we were done. And they wouldn't have been needed anyways. To either side of the hatchway stood two completely silent Royal Guardsmen, typically assigned by Palpatine to protect either himself or his top subordinates. Robed in red, they were supposedly masters of the Echani fighting art, wielding their force pikes with great skill. At the other end of the long conference table, standing as silently as the two Guardsmen on either side of the door, was a short, maroon-robed figure. Even though the hooded figure stood on the opposite side of a large room, I could feel power radiating from it like an electrical storm. From the way Naelah started fidgeting beside me, so could she.

The door cycled shut, sealing us inside. The Guardsmen still didn't move, but the robed figure on the other side of the table did. It reached up and threw back its hood.

I hate surprises. They just wouldn't stop coming though. I expected some sort of short, stocky, possibly bearded wizard or something. Instead, it was a short girl. She couldn't have been much older than Naelah, but she was a half-foot shorter. For a girl considerably younger than I, she was attractive. This really worried me. Sending kids out to do dirty work seemed like the Emperor's style, but a kid that radiated power like this Star Destroyer's main reactor couldn't possibly be good. The girl seated herself in the chair at the head of the table. She motioned for us to do the same. It was then I noticed the most troubling part of this girl. Her eyes weren't some pretty brown or light blue as I had expected. They were a vibrant, sickly yellow.

There was no way this could possibly be good. Not a chance in Hell.


	6. Chapter V: Captive of the Empire

Trembling in fear was hardly the words I would use to describe what I was doing at the moment; no, I was most definitely shaki

**Bilbringi Orbit**

Trembling in fear was hardly the words I would use to describe what I was doing at the moment; no, I was most definitely shaking so badly I could barely stand up straight next to the Mandalorian who had captured me—and I thought _he _was bad. Unfortunately, I was horribly mistaken.

Looking at the woman in front of me, I realized she must be no older than I was, yet her aura of power was far-reaching and seeped through my skin and chilled me to my very marrow. It was disconcerting as I looked at the hooded figure, which was nearly dwarfed by the very cloak she wore.

"Thank you, Piroc," The woman said, her voice sharp and commanding. "That will be all."

I was shocked to see her giving commands to a Mandalorian, of all people, but I kept my tongue still and refused to say anything in her presence. I could hardly believe that I was back to where I had started; all of this time I had been running from my father and the Empire, but now I was all of a sudden the closest I had ever been to the very thing I was running from.

The Mandalorian said something I didn't catch, and excused himself from the room, and from the woman's piercing stare, no doubt.

"So, Miss Tieres, it appears that we have a lot to talk about," the woman said with a faint note of superiority in her voice. "Please do take a seat; I don't think that you'll want to stand up through the entire conversation."

"I'll stand, thanks," I replied coldly, unwilling to take orders from this woman; however I still trembled in fear, unsure of what her response was going to be. It was horrible being caught by the Empire, but to face this woman who had power radiating from her very core scared me shitless.

"Very well," She hissed in a tone that suggested mild surprise at my defiance, but she didn't comment on it past that. "So Miss Tieres, it appears to me that you've been on the run from the Empire for a good deal of time now…" She said deliberately as she adjusted the hood that covered her face. "Can you explain to me why that is?"

I inclined my head and fiddled with the handcuffs the Mandalorian had put me in. Weighing my words carefully, I said, "Perhaps it is because the Empire was hunting me down, like it is hunting down trillions of other beings across the galaxy. The Empire has made many enemies and I'm just another one to throw into the mix, according to your codes."

"So you admit that you have done wrong?" She asked, obviously believing she had caught me in a sort of snag.

"I admit to nothing, I'm just telling you cold fact," I responded readily and stared straight into the black abyss of her hood. "And you can't argue that either because you know it to be true."

"If you want to deal with cold, hard fact, Miss Tieres, then I'll tell you what I know about you," She said calmly, cutting through every word I had said. "First, I know that you are on the run from the Empire because you witnessed something you weren't supposed to, those years ago, something that was highly classified and detrimental to the survival of the Empire. Secondly, I know that you've been against the Empire for various reasons that are mostly personal, but with the growing Rebel forces I must crack down on you for that as well."

As soon as the words "Rebel forces" came out of the Inquisitor's mouth every muscle in my body went taut with anticipation. I looked away from her, trying to disguise the flicker of hope that had been restored within me. If the Rebel forces were growing there was a good chance that they would destroy the Empire and therefore save the galaxy…I sincerely hoped for that day, but at the moment I was stuck in a conference chamber with a woman from hell.

"I also know that your father was the one who sent the Mandalorian to capture you directly, and bring you to me…" She continued in a voice that held traces of a deadly silkiness that made my spine tingle unpleasantly. "How does that make you feel, Miss Tieres? How does knowing that your father turned you in for the bettering of the Empire make you feel about him?" Clearly she was enjoying the effect her power had on me, but I maintained my composure.

Looking directly into her hood, I said, "Well, obviously my father is not the man I thought he was. In the many months I've been away from home I've seen exactly what your beloved Empire has done to its people, and I can tell you from experience that it is no government to be proud of." I inclined my head and clenched my fists hard enough so that the nails broke skin; I was beyond nervous, but I couldn't let this…woman see my fear, otherwise she would sense it and pounce.

"Do you have any idea what you're facing child?" She spat foully. "Do you have any idea what the Empire could do to you—or as a more immediate threat, what _I_ could do to you?"

"I'm not afraid," I told her with a quiet determination that was partially eclipsed by my fear, which was now making me tremble. "You can't do anything to me unless my father allows it, and I'm sure that he won't allow you to torture me with your sadistic methods." But even as I said the words, I knew that my father would have no say in the matter despite his position.

"How wrong you are, little one," the Inquisitor hissed through a malicious smile that was plastered on her face. "I can do things to you that would leave you in pain for the rest of your short life."

"I'd like to see you try," I spat back and leaned forward so that my chest was over the table. "What are you hiding under that hood? The face of a girl my own age—" And suddenly I stopped as she slid the hood back, revealing eyes that glowed with lust for power, but even more they were a sickly yellow color.

I knew what those eyes meant, I had heard rumors of the elite of the Empire being Sith, but I had never actually expected it to be true. Looking into those eyes I knew that whatever fight the Rebels were raging would be a long and difficult one, and with no doubt, unless they had a Jedi on their side, they would lose.

"Does this shock you, Miss Tieres? Does it shock you that one of my kind has been put in charge of handling your case?" The Inquisitor leaned forward as a mirthful laugh escaped her thin lips. "You have no idea what sort of hole you've dug for yourself, Miss Tieres, but luckily enough you have me to show you exactly what you have done wrong."

Backing away from the table slowly, I realized that I was in deeper than I had expected. This woman wasn't just some girl from the Empire making her rounds, she was a Sith, and by the end of the day I might be dead.

**Coruscant; the University**

After finally trudging up to the acclaimed university with Naelah's sister in my arms, I realized that I didn't even have a way into the school, and with Anita unconscious—and not likely waking up anytime soon—I knew it would look suspicious if I walked up the staircase with a girl in my arms.

Fuming silently at my idiocy, I merely turned the corner and walked down the nearest alleyway and dumped Anita's still form on the ground, carefully of course, and proceeded to slump down beside her myself.

As I leaned my head back against the duracrete wall behind me, I realized that it had been at least twenty-four hours since I had last seen Naelah. Something wasn't right, I knew that much, but I still wasn't sure what it was. Something was telling me that the Empire had caught her and she was somehow in their clutches, but I had no idea where.

Suddenly, Anita groaned and mumbled something unintelligible beside me and my face snapped in her direction. In the same moment, her eyes flew open and she looked at me for a moment, things slowly processing in her mind.

And then she screamed.

Cursing angrily, I covered her mouth with one hand, but that didn't stop her from struggling against me. "Anita, my name's Sterlo and I know your sister," Pausing, I waited for her to calm down. Finally, when she glared at me, I removed my hand. "I know your sister, Naelah," I repeated, watching her carefully for a sign of recognition. "I think she's in trouble."

"Why would she be in trouble? She's at…oh…" And then things began clicking her mind. "Oh no, not Naelah…they can't have…what do you think happened?"

"I don't know what happened, I just think she's in trouble," Taking a deep breath to steady me, I said, "I think the Empire's got her, and that's who she was running from. I think something's wrong, but I don't know what…but I think it's pretty bad."

Anita nodded slowly and glanced down at the ground. "I'm sure you don't know the circumstances for her running away, do you?"

"You recover from being drunk pretty fast," I noted casually, suddenly realizing that Anita was making a lot of sense, but she shouldn't have been seeing as she had just lost consciousness on account of drinking too much.

"Oh, that," She smirked and met my eyes for a second. "It was just a little defensive trick I learned when trying to get yourself out of a bar."

"Pretend to act drunk? Wouldn't that get you raped or something?"

"Not if you puke all over them," Grinning she added, "But I could tell you weren't going to rape me, and I was pretty tired from partying anyways so I just let you carry me home…" When I fixed her with a look of suspicion, she amended, "Ok, ok, so I was a _little_ drunk, but the shock of my sister being here, and the shock of waking up with a man over me woke me up a little bit."

"That's what I thought…makes more sense," Shrugging, I said, "But I don't know the story about your sister leaving Bilbringi, and I was under the impression you didn't either."

"I know what I found out." She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully and then said, "Did Naelah ever tell you our father is Moff Tieres of Bilbringi?" Seeing my reaction she nodded. "I thought not, she probably kept a low profile while she was here. Anyways, our father works very closely with the Empire, and from what I could tell, something big was going on that our father was helping to construct…do you remember the battle station that the Rebels destroyed? Well, Father was involved in that and the problem was, was that he was so closely connected to the Empire, and the Grand Moff Tarkin for that matter, that he lost his sense of family.

"From what I understood, Naelah heard a communication between Tarkin about a battle station…something classified, something that wasn't supposed to be heard by anybody but those involved. Because it was such a highly classified subject, and Naelah knew it, judging by the way she ran away as soon as Father found out she listened in, accidentally of course. The Empire told Father to track her down—"

"Please, tell me they didn't say to kill her as well," I interrupted, dreading the answer that Anita would give me. If the Empire wanted Naelah dead, she would end up dead and there was no question about that.

"As far as I know the Empire didn't give specifics on that part of it, I know that Father wouldn't want it that way because it would devastate Mother, but it wouldn't surprise me if Father 'slipped-up' and let the Empire do away with Naelah." Grimacing, she remained silent for a moment as she considered what she just told me. It was obvious she had never really thought of the Empire killing Naelah before, and now was the first time it was beginning to dawn on her that maybe she would never see her sister again.

"That's awful," I supplied gently, hoping she'd continue with her story.

Taking a deep, shuddering sigh, Anita nodded and carried on, "Anyways, Naelah ran and the family hasn't seen hide or tail of her since she disappeared about a year and a half ago. Father was furious, and scared for his own life. The Empire was depending on him not to let the secret out, and he did, but now Naelah's not even in his clutches so he can't control her; for all they know, she could have blabbered about the plan to others…not that it matters much anymore, the Death Star's destroyed anyways."

"She didn't tell me any of that…" I said, feeling slightly put-off, but I could understand Naelah's decision not to tell me any of that information. She probably didn't trust anybody in the world, and she certainly wouldn't trust a stranger…or a Sorrusian for that matter.

"And with good reason," She replied indignantly. "For all she knew, you could have been working for the Empire or something. But I know she's not dead, I would feel it if she was…I would just know."

"I know she's not dead," I agreed, feeling that Naelah was strong enough to carry on, on her own wherever she was. After all, she had been living in the dumps of Coruscant as a sixteen year old girl for awhile. "She's too strong to be dead."

"But you want to find her," Anita said as if she had been reading my mind. "Even though she's strong, you think she's in serious trouble and she needs your help."

I couldn't lie to this girl…it felt as though she would see through any lie I tried to pass by her. Reluctantly, I nodded. It was so unlike a Sorrusian to really care about anybody else but themselves, but apparently that was all about to change.

"You'll find her," Anita encouraged gently. "I know you will."

**Star Destroyer **_**Dark Force**_**, Bilbringi Orbit**

The armor of the stormtroopers to either side of me clacked and clattered as they escorted me back down to the hangar. The Inquisitor, who was clearly a Dark Sider, had seriously taken me by surprise. I had a lot of experience with Dark Siders, but she was something else. I was sure I could feel her drawing on the power of the Force to will me out the door. She was powerful, and I had a feeling I'd be seeing more of her in the future. But my job was done. That was what truly mattered. I wondered, though, as to the location of Moff Tieres. He owed me money for this job.

I turned to the trooper marching purposely on my right side. "Excuse me," I spoke. The helmet had an audio system that made the wearer sound much more robotic than they really did. It wasn't dissimilar to the system in a stormtrooper helmet. "Is Moff Tieres aboard this Star Destroyer?"

"I'm not authorized to give you that information, citizen." The stormtrooper's response was trite and simplistic, even for a stormtrooper. I realized then, if I really wanted to ensure I got paid for this job, I had to do something…. rash.

"Sorry. Just curious." The stormtroopers continued purposely. I fell out of step so I was slightly behind them, then I quickly grabbed the stormtrooper who couldn't hold a conversation, pretty much yanked him off his feet, and silently broke his neck. The other trooper turned to see what had happened and got a dart, launched from my wrist gauntlet, into his throat. They both dropped within a second of each other with more clattering of armor. Luckily for me, this seemed to be a lightly-trafficked hallway. I grabbed the two troopers by their neck collars and dragged them into a side room. I casually dumped the bodies on the deck, sealed the door, and headed back towards the turbolift banks.

I got back to the turbolift lobby, and was slightly disappointed to see I'd be sharing a lift. Naval officers, stormtroopers, marines, and technicians all milled about within the area. I got aboard the next turbolift heading up, and wound up standing alongside an officer wearing the bars of a Commander in the Navy, his two stormtrooper escorts, and a couple warrant officers. And, of course my luck was almost notoriously atrocious today, so I got a talker.

"Mandalorian," his clipped Imperial accent spoke, "where are you going. Not often one sees a warrior of your culture."

I turned and glared at him from the other side of the T-shaped visor. "Private contractor for Moff Tieres. I'm collecting for an assignment I completed."

"Ah. Moff Tieres is a guest aboard our Star Destroyer. He's probably still hanging around the bridge, making trouble for the Captain. He appears to be most annoyed by the esteemed governor. But he puts up with it since Tieres runs an important world. Without the shipyards, the Empire wouldn't be able to keep the Fleet as powerful as it is."

"I see." I wasn't much for talking with people who couldn't keep their mouth shut for more than ten seconds.

"I'm on my way up to the bridge now. I'm sure my escort and I can take you there. You may not have the proper security clearances."

To be honest, I hadn't thought about security clearances. Normally I just blasted my way into somewhere if I had to, but on an _Imperial_-class Star Destroyer, pride of the Imperial Navy, with a Dark Sider on board, it probably wasn't a brilliant idea. "I would appreciate that, Commander."

"It's not any problem, really. I'm something of a fan of Mandalorians. The armor is quite distinctive and interesting, I dare say. Much more so than the armor of our shock troopers."

I couldn't agree more. As far as I was concerned, a stormtrooper's white armor just made them a much better target. It was definitely handy if I was blasting them, but the Commander didn't need to know I've had run-ins with Imperials that weren't nearly as friendly. I don't need to boast that only one walked away from the encounter, either. The _Venator_-class Star Destroyer _Karatos_ was still a classified situation within the Empire, to my understanding. The Emperor didn't want his Fleet personnel to know a whole Star Destroyer was taken by one commando team. The entire crew was unaccounted for. Venting them into space leaves an infinite number of directions for the bodies to go, as it were.

By then, we had reached the bridge. Like most ships in the Imperial Navy, the bridge was large, with a command walkway running between two crew pits. Massive, triangular viewports made up the forward section. I could recognize Moff Tieres, standing off to one side, almost like he was trying not to get underfoot. I thanked the Commander, then walked over to the governor of Bilbringi.

"Moff Tieres," my voice rumbled from within my helmet. He turned, suddenly aware of a gray-armored Mandalorian supercommando staring down at him. He was a short man, and with my height of 6'2", I towered over him. The armor helped with the intimidation factor.

"Uh, greetings, Phiht Piroc," he managed to gasp out. He was surprised I was here, that was clear. "Thank you for returning my daughter. Is she with you?"

"No, you idiot, she's not. She'd be standing by me if she was. Your Inquisitor friend has her."

His eyes widened. "I was afraid of this. I had suspected for some time that Naelah was…special. I tried to avoid letting the Empire get notice of her, but when she saw that…thing she shouldn't have seen, I knew that it was over." He bowed his head, and I was almost certain I could hear him starting to sob. "I tried to keep my family away from the Empire, because I was certain my daughters could draw on the Force. If the Emperor's adepts found them, they would have become one of them. I didn't want that for my daughters."

"It seems like you failed," I pointed out.

"It was by coincidence, really. Naelah overheard a transmission between myself and Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin wanted her found, to protect the secrets of his project, but she eluded capture for a year and half. I just wanted her home with my wife again. I didn't want this to happen, but the _Dark Force_ dropped into the system a few days ago. This small little fleet is commanded by the Inquisitor, Lunais. I knew then that they intercepted my transmission to you, and she must have foreseen that you'd find Naelah. I don't think Naelah will be cooperative with Lunais, and that will most likely see her killed."

"And what are they going to be doing with her. I know Dark Siders, Moff. I know they'll try to convert her."

"I believe Lunais plans to take her down to the surface. She'll be tortured there."

"And what of your wife? Will this Lunais character use her to twist Naelah to her will?"

Moff Tieres looked like he was about to dump a load of cargo into his uniform trousers. "I hadn't thought of that," he said, confirming my own thought. "I need to send a message to her, but I can't risk being exposed." He seemed to think momentarily. "I will pay you to see her on a transport to safety."

I nodded. "I can do that. And Naelah?"

"She'll have to be rescued. I don't know how though."

"Put it on my tab, Moff Tieres. You already owe me for bringing her from Coruscant. I'll get your wife to safety, and then I will take care of Naelah."

The governor still looked worried, but not nearly as significantly. I was surprised his panic attacks weren't attracting the notice of the bridge crew. That was helpful. Hopefully no one was overhearing what he was saying. He'd get in a lot of trouble if Lunais caught wind of an escape plan for a girl who will most likely be the Dark Side's newest convert.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Piroc. Money will not be thanks enough, I think."

"It's acceptable, Moff. Don't worry, I'll get your daughter. What of you, though? No doubt Lunais will suspect your involvement."

The older man gave a defeated nod. "That's a sacrifice I have to make. I owe my family that much." He handed me a datapad from his tunic pocket. "This datapad has my estate's security codes, ground layouts, and garrison numbers. You'll find the information helpful to you in your assignment, I'd imagine."

Sliding the little datapad into a belt compartment, I nodded. It would be very helpful. "Moff, I'll probably use your estate to lure Lunais into a confrontation. If I can subdue her, then I can make this rescue much easier."

His eyes widened again, much bigger this time. His jaw dropped open. I could just imagine what he'd say about the prospect of his estate being destroyed in combat between a Dark Jedi and a Mandalorian. "She's a _Dark Jedi_! You can't possibly be a match for her."

I thought back to an incident on Shola some years ago. My late companion, Roykin Dermitchal, had said much the same thing when I busted him out of a Dark Jedi's prison, inside a massive fortress on the hellish world. He hadn't survived the escape, but neither did the Dark Sider. "I think she'll think the same thing. I've fought her kind before."

"But-"

"But nothing. I can handle this assignment." I turned to leave. "Just make sure I can get clear of the hangar. I don't want a squadron of TIE fighters chasing me to the surface." I swept from the bridge, to head back to the _Hell's Call_, and hopefully not towards the end of my career.


	7. Chapter VI: Revelation

Coruscant, Spaceport

**Coruscant, Spaceport**

And so it had been decided: I was going to head to Bilbringi to try and rescue Naelah—a girl who I had only known for a short while, and in some strange manner she seemed to capture my interest. Unfortunately for me, Naelah's older sister seemed to think this was a journey made for her too, but how wrong that was.

"I'm coming with you," Anita said sharply as she threw something else into the bag. We had finally gotten into the University, and I was now sitting on a trunk while she attempted to pack things. "I want to go home anyways; I can't stand being around Coruscant if the police force is murdering my sister."

"You're not going," I replied simply, unwilling to argue with this girl, but I had no choice; she was as stubborn as ever. "Do you realize how much danger you might be in?"

"And Naelah isn't in any?" She retorted as she looked up at me. "Don't try and stop me from saving my sister—I'm not letting you go without me."

"Anita," I interrupted sharply, my temper getting the best of me. "I'm not letting you go with me and that's final. If you really want to go, find your own way home." I stood and stared down at her, waiting for a response.

She stared at me for a few minutes before letting out a short scream of frustration. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Do I look like I am?"

After studying my expression for a second, she spluttered, "But she's my sister! You can't just—you can't do this to me! I know she's in trouble Sterlo, I can _feel_ it alright? I want to help her."

"You can't plead with me, it doesn't work," I told her and backed away. "I'm leaving now, and I'm not bringing you with me. If I brought you with me you might end up in jail or something worse."

Sitting down in defeat, Anita let out a sigh and glanced up at me again. "Well," She said sullenly. "Tell Naelah I said hi."

I smirked and replied, "Are you going to act like a two-year-old?"

"No," She responded with more grace. "I'm going to nobly accept defeat and let you go rescue my sister; go be the knight in shining armor if that's what you want." Shrugging, she let a short laugh escape her lips before shaking her head.

"That's not what I want," I told her quickly, and realized that she was joking with me. "Knight in shining armor or not, I'm going to go and get her back, and I promise you that."

"Good," She told me quietly as her demeanor shifted. "Because I want to hear that my sister's alive and well, not dead." She held my gaze for a fraction of a second, and I caught a glint of hardness in her eyes. "Thank you."

"Of course," I responded just as quietly. "Naelah's my friend now too, and despite the fact that I am a Sorrusian, it doesn't mean I'm going to desert her when she needs me the most." I offered a grin in Anita's direction before heading to the door of her dorm suite. "This isn't going to be the last you hear of me, or of Naelah," I promised solemnly and left the room, as well as Anita, far behind me.

**Bilbringi**

All I remembered was the searing flash of light, and the immeasurable pain that seemed to rip through my body a thousand times over, but then my world went black. I recalled nothing, only the sharpness of thousands of knives shoved deep into my skin. Suddenly, I began to shiver uncontrollably and turned over, but my palm slapped against something hard and cold.

In an instant, my eyes flew open and the scene that greeted me was dark and grotesque. I looked around; my view of the room distorted by my position, and saw that it was a prison cell. Gray duracrete walls rose up around me on all sides, and there wasn't even a barred window to let light in. I must have been trapped in the lowest levels of some prison—even as I looked around I noticed the filthiness of the chamber, which only added to my despair.

I attempted to shift my legs, but that thought was immediately shut down for as soon as I moved them a sharp, stabbing pain rocketed up my body and made me gasp out in surprise. I had never felt such pain in my life, it was beyond any consolation.

As I lay on the cold, disgusting floor, I realized that that Inquisitor from the Empire must have put me down here, but I was still confused as to why. She thought I had some affiliation with the Rebel Alliance, but that didn't make any sense; I faded from public view months ago and she knew that, but why was she so intent on finding me and questioning me?

I knew that escape was not an option; I had given up hope for that a long time ago; and now, especially in this state I was not fit to run from a Sith. But something still bothered me. Why was a Sith so interested in a seemingly unimportant girl? It just didn't make any sense.

But before I had any time to continue processing thoughts, there was movement outside of my cell door. Someone was sliding back the heavy bolt that locked me in, and another person was slowly opening my door.

And quickly, I forgot all about the pain I was feeling and sat up and began crawling backwards across the cell's floor. I couldn't let myself be taken again—I had to do something. I wasn't going to be tortured again. When I looked at the white light now pouring into my cell, I understood that the vague flashes of memories I did have were of previous torture sessions.

Oh Force no, I thought as I finally backed into a wall. No, no, no, I began panicking and ran my fingers over the dirty wall, not even paying attention to the pain that was rippling up my legs again.

"Thank you gentlemen," The Inquisitor's cool, commanding voice came from the hallway, assaulting my ears. "That will be all." Suddenly, the demon from hell was standing in front of my door, her hood back and exposing a shockingly regular face, but it was twisted by the lust for power and the desire for something else I couldn't place. Her brilliant, sickly yellow eyes were flashing with excitement, and I was certain she would have no regrets killing me.

I swallowed loudly and began to tremble as the Inquisitor swept into the room. Pushing my back against the wall as hard as I could, I had to grit my teeth against the pain that was erupting in my legs again. Oh Force please, I begged silently as I looked away from the girl with the horrid, yellow eyes.

"How do you feel?" She asked, without raising her voice or kneeling in front of me. All she did was stand, enjoying her place of power, and look down at me as sarcasm riddled her tone. "Does it hurt? Do you feel a burning pain _everywhere _in your body?"

I kept my mouth clamped shut as I glared at her, but when she kicked my leg I couldn't help but utter a cry of pain as the shock rippled through me. I pushed myself off the wall and grabbed the leg and when I looked down I realized they were bloodied, bruised and looked grotesque. I gasped in shock and touched them, feeling the cuts and bruises everywhere.

"Scared?" The Inquisitor taunted with an evil cackle. "How would you like to go back and experience it again?"

Whimpering, I managed to pull my legs to my chest and held them there while she continued to stare at me through malignant eyes. Finally, I looked back at her and grimly set my face before I spat, "No."

"Oh you're going to wish you never said that," she replied delightedly, and after she stared at me intently for a second, I blacked out.

It was a relief, but forever haunting me would be those awful yellow eyes.

**Bilbringi, Orbit**

Traveling to Bilbringi was one of the strangest experiences I had ever encountered in my life—and for a Sorrusian that was saying something. I had met two highly intriguing girls, and now I was off to be a knight in shining armor to one.

How much stranger could things get?

And so, after a long and strenuous ride on the most uncomfortable transport I had ever been on, we finally entered Bilbringi's orbit and I was finally able to look upon the home world of both Anita and Naelah. From space, Bilbringi was not nearly as dull as Coruscant's day side, but it wasn't all that attractive either. Then again, the entire planet was covered in metal mines so that would obviously make for an unattractive world. However, I could still make out patches of green and blue along the planet's surface, and I wondered if the Moff's home was somewhere around those areas.

But my inspection of Bilbringi was interrupted by the captain's voice over the intercom giving us the estimated arrival time along with departure procedures. As if I hadn't already heard this speech hundreds of times before.

So, I decided to settle down and take a short nap until we touched land.

**Bilbringi, Spaceport**

The woman who tried to keep up with my quick stride beside me couldn't have possibly been more confused. I guess barging into her home and dragging her away can do that to someone. I pushed my way through the crowd, not caring who I shoved out of my way. I had a job to do, and they were in my way. And besides, who argues with a fully armored Mandalorian?

"Please, tell me what's going on!" The woman was insistent. I could see where Naelah got her fire from, since it certainly wasn't from her father. The Moff seemed tired with the stress of his position, whereas his wife still had a youthful flare to her. "Is it Naelah? Did Enric send you? What happened?"

Although I maintained my straight path through the crowd gathered in the starport, I turned my helmeted head to the woman panicking at my side. "Ma'am, your husband did send me. Naelah's in Imperial hands, and I'm tasked with rescuing her. I was also charged with seeing you safely away from Bilbringi. You're on the next transport to Coruscant. The governor wants you to get in touch with your other daughter and fill her in on what has transpired so far."

"But won't Enric get in trouble? The Empire…"

I shoved a slightly-drunk Rodian out of my way. I silently cursed stupid people, then turned back to her. "Ma'am, your husband is aware of the risks he's taking. He's doing it willingly. Your husband loves you and your family, and he wants to ensure your safety."

She sighed softly. "I know he does. It hurts me to see him put himself in harm's way. He served the Empire as faithfully as he could, and now it's come down to him and his entire family being hunted by those he served. It's ironic, I guess."

We reached check-in counter. One of the personnel behind the counter motioned me over. I walked briskly to her terminal, where she looked me over with a mixture of awe and fear. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes ma'am, you can. I called earlier to book a flight to Imperial City Spaceport on Imperial Center for one passenger. I'd like to check in."

"Of course, sir. Your name?"

I hadn't used my real name to reserve the ticket. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. "Roykin Dermitchal." I often assumed my deceased friend's identity for this sort of situation, as a sign of respect to him.

She looked at her screen, hit a few keys on the terminal, and grabbed the ticket the machine spit out. "Here you go, sir. Thank you for flying Imperial Starlines."

I walked away from the counter at a brisk speed, the woman I was charged with escorting struggling to keep pace behind me. I went through the spaceport, glancing at signs to find the departure terminal for Mrs. Tieres' flight. Finally, we reached Gate E457 after a seemingly endless walk. I turned to her and handed her the ticket. "Ma'am, lay low once you get to Imperial Center. Don't let your husband's sacrifice be in vain."

She gulped at the mention of his sacrifice. "I won't. Thank you for helping us."

I nodded. "Your husband pays well, and I'm not a fan of torturing minors. It's technically illegal."

She gave a weak smile at my joke. "The Empire seems to bend the rules when it suits them. Please, do what you can for my daughter."

"Ma'am, I'll give nothing less than my best to help her. You have my word, your daughter will be safe. I can't promise you that you'll see her for some time, though. Your husband wants me to get her to the Rebel Alliance. They can help her lay low for a time, to hopefully let this cool down."

She seemed even sadder than before. "Enric knows best, I guess. I always suspected he had contacts with the Rebels. I just hope they can help her."

"They'll help her. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you. I appreciate all your help." She reached up and hugged me, an extremely rare occasion for me, and with a final farewell she boarded the shuttle.

As soon as I was sure she was aboard I left the starport and went back to the capital in a rented speeder. There was more business to attend to here. I had a promise to keep to a family with little hope left.

**Bilbringi, Spaceport**

"I think you'll find Bilbringi most hospitable to your needs," An older, pleasant lady was gibbering to me as the transport touched down for landing. "I have two nieces and a nephew living on the planet and they say that it is very good to them."

I smiled as best I could with my mind elsewhere, and managed to rumble, "I'm not here for very long—" But apparently, the woman thought that I had just made an opening for her to include some more pointless facts about the planet.

"Oh, but Moff Tieres is really quite the gentleman to visitors; he appreciates all the outside visitation he gets, and because Bilbringi draws such people, it also draws the attention of the Empire, which helps the planet survive."

I glanced down at the woman with frank disgust in my eyes as she mentioned the Empire. "Have you heard anything on the Moff's youngest daughter?" I asked, shielding my obvious intensity in the subject.

"Why, not recently no; I heard that she was apprehended by the Empire a short time ago and that has been a black mark of Moff Tieres' record, but he has a lot of other things to live for."

"If your daughter was arrested by the Empire don't you think you'd be a little worried too?"

"I don't have children so I don't know how I'd feel sir," She snapped back impatiently. "Now if you excuse me, the transport is unloading." She gathered her baggage and stood up and walked toward the crowd of people briskly.

_Batty old woman,_ I thought as I stood up and started walking toward the throng that had started forming.

Meandering through the hoards of people coming off the transport was no easy task, but I finally accomplished it and my feet landed on the hard, duracrete floors of the landing bay. Apparently this was the biggest spaceport on all of Bilbringi—at least it looked gigantic and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the largest since it was so close to the capitol.

Looking around, I noticed the variety of people walking through the spaceport, but none were more noticeable than those who were in obvious collaboration with the Empire. I saw stormtroopers, but not nearly enough to be there to regulate traffic at a spaceport—this made me realize that Naelah's being the Empire's hands was not as usual as people were trying to make it out to be.

Walking through the overly large and congested spaceport was a confusing and tiring experience, but soon I was about ten meters from the doors and I caught faint glimpses of the world outside. Bilbringi—the mining planet.

But for some unexplainable reason my flesh began prickling on the back of my neck and on my arms. Gritting my teeth, I slowly began turning around to see what on earth had caused this sensation because it only occurred when I was in a dangerous situation.

And then my attention drifted toward a tall, overbearing Mandalorian in full armor, so I could not see his face as he continued to push quickly through the crowd. I felt like I knew this person, and I felt as though I had met him recently.

The hazy memories of a faded bar scene assaulted my mind, and suddenly I realized that this had to have been the person who kidnapped Naelahl; he was the man who was responsible for bringing Naelah to her death.

So, in return for harming Naelah, I would have to harm him. Feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins, I started tailing him and found it surprisingly easy—being a Sorrusian gets you into many places people don't want you to be.

The Mandalorian soldier was moving fast and it seemed like he was trying to run from something, but he wouldn't break out into a full sprint. He pushed through people and ignored their cries out protest, and soon it was just him and me in a back alley in the middle of a city I knew nothing about.

I had blocked out everything but tailing the supposed kidnapper, so I didn't realize we had exited the spaceport in favor of the actual capitol.

The Mandalorian stopped, and without turning to face me, he said, "You need something?" In a rumbling voice that shocked me for a fraction of a second.

But the moment of shock passed and I stared defiantly at his back while saying, "Yeah actually, I do."

**Somewhere in Bilbringi**

Barely conscious, I was an easy victim of the Inquisitor's inhumane cruelty; the woman, who looked more like a girl of my age, easily strapped my wrists into manacles hanging from the ceiling in a darkened room I presumed was a torture chamber, however I wasn't exactly sure.

The girl, who's hood was now half-covering her face, had stepped to the front of me and simply stared for a moment or two, almost as if she were calculating how best to torture me.

I stared back, letting my temper get the best of me, and despite my aching body I managed to hold the girl's invisible stare.

"Do you have something you wish to tell me Miss Tieres?" She questioned softly, her voice dripping with a sickly sweetness that wanted to make me vomit, but I hardly had the energy to make my stomach heave. "Or shall I just make this as informal as can be by calling you Naelah?"

"I have nothing." My voice shook with the effort as I spoke to the girl, but my determination remained solid—as it had in the past torture session that I barely remembered. But the pain, the pain I remembered as clearly as a piece of jagged glass cutting into me. It was surreal, but the Inquisitor had made everything about the last torture session hurt. I had come so close to dying, but she didn't care—all she cared about was getting the information she believed I had.

The Inquisitor made an unintelligible noise in the back of her throat, and then said, "Very well Miss Tieres, very well. Bring forward the device."

I let my head fall forward against my chest as I began to remember the bloodcurdling screams and the horrors of being threatened by a Sith. I left the room barely conscious, but I could remember the drilling of a thousand knives into my body, and the boiling of my blood as fires seemed to burn into my skin…the pain is what had nearly killed me, the overwhelming sensation of pain that crippled me beyond belief.

Breathing raggedly, I managed to lift my head and stare into the yellow eyes that gleamed with lust—oh how I knew she wanted to see me in pain, to see my defenses crumble and everything to leak out.

"Impossible," I gasped as I felt hot, searing metal on my flesh and I let out a shrill scream that I tried to bite off, but I ended up whimpering instead. How many more times could I go through this? I hadn't done anything!

Pain blazed through my neck and at least a dozen other places and instantly my head fell forward. I screamed out in anguish and felt cool tears brush my cheeks, and then watched them glistening as they fell to the metal floor and landed with a soft hiss.

"Now, Miss Tieres, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here," The Inquisitor said, and her excitement bled through the clipped words. Leaning over, she grabbed my chin between her thin fingers and jerked my head up to look at her directly.

I groaned against the sudden movement, but made no other noise as I continued to stare into her malignant eyes.

"You're too important for the Empire to let out of its sight, and yet you managed to disappear for at least a year." She squeezed my chin and said, "Now how did you manage to do that?" Disgustedly, she tossed my face away and turned around as she continued talking. "Well, my Master came to one conclusion and that conclusion seems most viable; Miss Tieres, you wield the power of the Force and you don't even know it."

Everything in my body went numb as she stated this simple fact. The pain disappeared, and I could literally feel the blood drain from my face as I weakly lifted my head to stare at her. "What?" I pushed out of my throat, and yet it still sounded like a gurgle.

"Yes, the Force is strong with you, and my Master wants you to serve him, and the Empire," Spinning around, she continued in a forceful voice. "We want you to serve our purpose Miss Tieres; we want you to become one of us."

Utterly confused, I stared blankly at the Inquisitor and swallowed dryly. I didn't even understand what this Sith was talking about. It was impossible for me to figure out in the state of mind I was in, but I certainly understood that I was Force sensitive. But that made sense…now that I started to think about it, it began to make sense.

"So what will it be Miss Tieres? Will you join us?" The Inquisitor asked tersely, and folded her arms across her chest. "We won't wait forever."

Summoning what I could, I spat, "No, I would never serve the dark—" but before I could even choke out my thoughts there was a searing pain somewhere in the back of my skull, and it rippled outward and began engulfing my entire body. I screamed and felt something new stir within me that had never happened before. Looking through squinted eyes, I saw the Inquisitor back away as something flew out toward her.

"More! Let's see the extent of her powers!" She shrieked wildly.

And suddenly, my energy was spent and I blacked out completely, oblivious to the pain and everything else around me. But somewhere in my mind, somewhere behind an iron wall and buried deep something else was breaking loose. Perhaps I truly was gifted with the Force.


	8. Chapter VII: Showdown

Somewhere in the bowels of Bilbringi

**Somewhere in the Government Complex, Bilbringi**

_The stark lighting of my new habitat shocked me as I slowly peeled open my eyes._ Dried blood had somehow gotten into the way of my vision, and as I tried to reach up and brush it away I realized I couldn't move any limb of my body without a sharp spasm of pain jolting through it. Groaning, I slumped forward and felt my wrists strain against the leather straps holding me against a duracrete wall.

"Are you willing to cooperate now?" A cold, malicious voice slithered through the room. From the singular darkened corner of the room, the Inquisitor stepped forth; her hood was thrown back, revealing her sickly yellow eyes that danced wickedly in the bright light. "Tell me, Naelah, what will push you to your very limits? What will make you release what you've been holding inside for so long?"

Spitting out the blood and mucus that had gathered in my mouth, I lifted my head and looked directly at the Inquisitor. "Never," I croaked, and the word scraped against my dry throat. Swallowing, I winced as the pain slid up and down the back of my throat before I was able to say, "I'll never join you."

"Oh no," The Inquisitor continued on in her cruel voice. "I was never asking you to join us, merely to show us the extent of your powers." She walked across the room, her dark cloak jutting out in the whiteness of the room. "What will it take to make you snap?" In a moment, she was beside me and holding my chin in between two fingers.

"Nothing." I grimaced and tried to pull away from her fingers, but her grip was too strong and I was too weak. _You will not break_, I told myself firmly as I lifted my gaze to look into her yellow ones. _You will not break._

"Very well," She spat and thrust my chin away as though she were disgusted. "I've had enough of trying to pry things from you Naelah. I could just kill you if that is what you want me to do, though I daresay your father won't be happy about that." She turned and began to head back to the darkened corner of the room. "What is your choice?"

"I'm not giving in," I muttered weakly and watched her body stiffen. Then, I felt an acute ache in my leg that quickly traveled throughout my entire body; something, I had realized, was traveling rapidly through my bloodstream and causing me to feel pain in a more intense manner. I looked wildly at the Inquisitor and saw her turn around with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Would you like to change your mind?" She asked as an IT-0 droid hovered into the light. The shiny metal parts glinted forebodingly in the harsh lighting, and slowly it started making its way toward me. "Because if you reconsider now, I can take this terrible thing away," She continued as her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"No," I said in a muffled voice as the droid came closer. "No," I repeated as something silvery appeared in my peripheral vision. Suddenly, a sharp, skull-shattering pain ripped through my entire body and I looked wildly at the Inquisitor, whose eyes gleamed with delight. "NOOO!" I screamed out in agony and strained against the leather ropes, ignoring the way they cut into my wrists. "NOO!"

As I was screaming, I didn't notice the sudden stop and jerk motion of the IT-0 droid that was supposed to be torturing me. For some reason, the pain kept pulsing through my veins like fire, but the droid had stopped its method of torturing me. All I saw was the widened eyes of the Inquisitor as she stared at me in complete and utter shock.

I lurched forward, screaming in agony, and before I knew it I felt a rushing, strangling power fly up within me until I couldn't contain it anymore. One moment had suddenly changed everything about the position I was in.

Something vast and something terrible exploded from me that sent the IT-0 droid reeling back until it splattered into a wall next to the Inquisitor's head. As I screamed, the power only proceeded to keep ripping out of me as though hell were being unleashed. I watched with terror-filled eyes as the body of the Inquisitor was thrust into the air, and then back against a wall in one precise motion.

Even as my enemy sunk to the floor, unconscious by the looks of it, I couldn't help but think, _what is going on with me? What has she done?!_ I watched the Inquisitor's head lull forward with a serenity that shocked me, but before she had completely passed out I saw her murmur something.

Suddenly, the power died within me like a flame being extinguished. At once, I dropped forward like a heap of waste and I fell against the leather bands holding me in. The pain of the leather cutting deep into my wrists was somehow trivial to the feeling of the slow-moving heat moving through my bloodstream, eating everything in its wake. As I felt it crawl through me, all I wished for was a deep, untroubled sleep to take me away from everything.

"What…have…I…" I raised my head once more and saw the Inquisitor's lifeless form. "Done?" The word was barely a whisper as it escaped from my lips, but before I knew it I had fallen into a wave of darkness that granted me the peace I needed.

**Bilbringi, Dark Alley Somewhere In the Capitol**

The humanoid I remembered vaguely from that cantina on Coruscant stood at the entrance to the alley, hands held out to his sides, waiting for me to make my move. He had no blasters or any weapons I could see. Perhaps he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He wasn't overly muscular, but I could see lithe muscle flexing in his arms. Well, if he wanted to play, I was more than willing to oblige. I flicked my eyes to one corner of my helmet's HUD, and in response the vibroblades concealed in the armored gauntlets on my forearms snapped out. The humanoid's eyes flickered momentarily in shock. Beneath my helmet, I smiled. He had no weapon, otherwise he wouldn't be worried. I activated my HUD again, and a second set of blades snapped out of my gauntlets. This set, unlike the long stabbing blades over my wrists, were a set of climbing blades along the forearm. They also helped with slashing in hand-to-hand combat. The humanoid didn't look nearly as confident as he did before, but he had set his mouth into a line of grim determination.

I quickly evaluated the situation. I had seen him with the girl, Naelah, back on Coruscant. He had to have followed us here somehow. But he would have no idea that I was trying to get her back now, and he probably wasn't likely to believe me. I had no reason to kill him, yet, and he could prove to be a useful ally when it came time to spring Naelah from wherever the Inquisitor was holding her. If he wanted to rescue Naelah, he couldn't risk killing me because then he would have no idea what happened to his friend.

Still, he was clearly set on a fight. I dropped into a fighting stance, left side toward him, right arm cocked back to deliver a punch. I could snap the blades back into their concealed compartments in a heartbeat, so I wouldn't have to fatally wound him. But he didn't know that, giving me a psychological advantage. The humanoid took a step forward in response, and in the flick of an eye he had leaped the distance between us. My left arm came up, blocking his first blow, and my right fist, suddenly with no blade, snapped forward to jab him in the chin.

It was on.

Standing at the other end of the alleyway, the bloody Mandalorian mercenary was staring at me through his fancy helmet, I was sure. Sure, I knew the reputations of many Mandalorians, but I didn't care—this one couldn't stand in my way of saving Naelah. Flexing my fingers against my thighs, I watched as he continued calculating his moves, and studying me. It was slightly intimidating standing across the way from this supreme fighter, but I had determination and willpower, something I was sure he didn't have.

Feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins, I shifted to the left and waited for his move. Impatience was drilling into my head, and the adrenaline made it difficult for me to stand still, but I commanded myself to despite the itchiness in my legs. I yearned to just hit the Mandalorian upside the head so hard that he'd be out cold on the ground—only then would I be alright with him.

Naelah's face fluttered into my vision and I realized that for the first time I was actually fighting for someone, rather than for myself. I had a reason to engage in a scuffle on the streets of Bilbringi, and this reason was somewhat noble, even if it was breaking a girl out of jail.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I lowered myself into a fighting position once more and stared down the hunter who stared at me, waiting patiently. He too dropped down into a fighting position, his left side to me, a practiced stance that revealed practice in hand-to-hand fighting. He was waiting for me to make the first move, I realized, and I suppose if that's what he wanted that's what he would get.

With the thought of saving Naelah pushing me forward and recklessness edging every portion of my body, I launched forward and started sprinting down the alleyway, unaware of my surroundings. I was a stealthy fighter—I was a Sorrusian. Breathing even, and eyes set right on the prize, I jumped up right in front of the Mandalorian and pulled back my arm, closing my fingers into a fist, and within a moment that fist was sailing down towards the Mandalorian's armed head. Before I could strike, I felt his armored fist slam into my chin, hard. I swung back, and the fight began.

My fist hit the humanoid square in the jaw on the first blow. He reeled backward, but he came back swinging. I sidestepped another of his punches and jabbed into his side. I could tell the girl somehow affected him, perhaps in ways he didn't realize. He was letting his emotions rule him, and he was making mistakes. He came in again, swinging wildly. He landed a blow on my chest, but the armored chestplate too the brunt of it. I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and brought my helmeted head down hard, hitting him right on the nose. I threw him down onto the ground of the alley, and quickly analyzed him.

Interesting. His nose didn't seem to be damaged at all. Few species in the galaxy had the compressible skeleton of a Sorrusian. They were known to be skilled thieves, partially due to their ability to squeeze through partly-open windows or other small gaps impassible by the typical humanoid. They were also very agile in combat typically. I hadn't encountered their kind often, but it usually was a memorable experience when I had. He clearly had a moral code as well, for he clearly fought for the girl. A man of honor was worthy of my respect.

He pulled himself to his feet. I dropped back down again into a fighting stance, ready for him to leap. He didn't disappoint. This time he managed to knock me off my feet. I hit the ground hard on my back, him on top of me, hitting me furiously. I brought my leg up and kicked up hard into his stomach, propelling him back and off of me. I jumped to my feet again and snapped out the fighting blades in my gauntlets. "Listen, friend, I'm trying to get your friend back," I said to him as he regained his feet.

He ran forward again, swinging manically at me, as I sidestepped or shrugged them off. Hitting the armor of a Mandalorian can't be easy on his knuckles. "You can help me save her from the Empire!" He kept coming. His emotions clouded his hearing and he wouldn't stop until he saw me dead.

I slashed his jacket open with a swing of my right arm, nicking him enough to draw blood. He stepped back, looking down at his wound. I snapped out one of the blaster pistols belted on my waist, and by the time he looked back at me, he was staring down the business end of a WESTAR-34 blaster pistol, one of the best and most powerful on the market.

"It's over. Understood?" He glared at me. He was still forming fists with his hands down at his sides, but it looked like I had gotten through to him. "Enough play-time, Sorrusian. You can listen to me and what I have to say, or I can make it pretty damn quick for you. Are you gonna listen?" The alien was still glaring, but he nodded. "Good man. Naelah was taken by an Inquisitor." The Sorrusian's eyes widened in shock, showing he knew what an encounter with a member of the Imperial Inquisitorious would have meant for him if he had kept on his poorly-thought-out rescue attempt. "Her father, Moff Tieres, wants me to spring her out and get her to the Rebel Alliance. I can do it alone, but it'd be easier with some help. You in?"

The glaring had eased up a little, and the Sorrusian nodded his agreement.

"Good. To start, what's your name?"

"Sterlo," said the other.

I nodded. "I'm Phiht Piroc. We have a lot of work to do."

**Somewhere in a cell, Bilbringi**

_Cold._ It was the first thing I felt when I was able to pry my eyes open once again, and almost immediately my body began reacting; at first, a cold sweat started pouring down my face, but then that quickly transformed into shivering. As my teeth chattered, I pulled my arms around me, hoping that in some way I could warm myself, but it proved to be fruitless.

Lying defenseless in the cell of an Imperial Inquisitor, I began to realize what all of this was about. I wasn't just Naelah Tieres, daughter of the Moff of Bilbringi anymore, I had the power to change the destiny of the Rebels, or so the Inquisitor believed.

But I wasn't defenseless anymore. Slowly, I began to right myself and tried to forget about the numbing cold that seemed to envelop me. I looked at the durasteel door that barred my escape and let a determination—let some raw willpower well up within me.

_I had the Force._

_The Force._ I blinked slowly, comprehension dawning on me like the sun after a deep, dark night. I stared around the room for a brief moment before letting my eyes rest on the door; the only thing blocking my way out of this cursed cell. Unable to do much else besides stare, I clenched my hands into fists and willed it with everything I had, to open and let me go.

_I have the Force_, the thought whirled around in my head like a million flies, and my focus on the door vanished. I couldn't believe it, it was impossible to have the Force—the Jedi died out years ago. _But weren't the Emperor and Lord Vader gifted with the Force?_ Another voice cut into my already jumbled thoughts.

Suddenly, I was frightened for my life. I didn't want to join the Empire—I couldn't join the Empire. They killed for pleasure, they used their powers to hurt innocent beings—I couldn't join them at all.

_I don't want to be evil, I can't be evil._

Why couldn't this all just go away?


	9. Chapter VIII: A Plan of Action

Bilbringi, Spaceport

**Bilbringi, Spaceport**

"Here, take this one." I tossed a Bryar pistol, still in its holster, to my Sorrusian companion. We were inside the _Hell's Call_, going through my considerable onboard armory. He caught it, looked it over curiously for a moment, then began to connect the holster to his belt. "It's a modified Bryar rifle, sawn off to be a pistol in size. It packs a punch that can tear through a stormtrooper's armor with ease."

He looked at the weapon again. "And have you considered getting in by stealth?"

I turned to look him in the eyes. He couldn't see mine, since they were still hidden behind the T-shaped visor of my helmet. "Of course I have. It's getting back out I'm worried about. And I'd rather you have a weapon and not need it than having you need a weapon and not have one."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

I turned back to the armory, moving weapons and armor aside until I found what I was looking for. I pulled the package out and tossed it to Sterlo. "Set of light armor. It's not nearly as strong as mine, or as strong as stormtrooper armor, but it gets the job done. I'd prefer you didn't die in the first firefight."

He opened the pack and moved some of the plates aside, checking it out. "Thanks," he muttered.

"It's as sentimental as I get. You might as well get used to it." I pulled out another weapon, a compact pistol. "Hold onto this weapon as well," I said, tossing the piece to Sterlo.

"You've gotta be kidding me; isn't a sawn-off rifle enough?"

I shook my head. "You can never have too much firepower, as far as I'm concerned. I'm going in with two WESTAR-made blaster pistols and a blast cannon, plus my armor's assorted weaponry. And it's not for you. Naelah will need something to shoot with as well."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you said she would be tortured, do you seriously think she'll be able to shoot anything?"

"It goes back to the firepower again. Spread it around amongst the group so they can't take out all the weaponry at once. And even if she's in bad shape, she's bound to have weapon training as the daughter of an Imperial Moff. I'd prefer she had some defense as well."

"Oh." He had pulled the chestplate out of the bag and began belting it on under his leather jacket.

I went back to going through the armory locker. I pulled out a few small weapons for my wrist gauntlets and pulled them out of the locker. Dart shooter, compact DUR blaster, cutting torch, flame projector, and a few other assorted surprised. I took my gauntlets off and sat down in the pilot's seat, grabbed a small work tool from a bag under the console and began taking apart the panels on the gauntlets to install the weapons. I glanced back at Sterlo. He had the duraplast plate attached to his front and had started putting on his shoulder plating, this time over his jacket. Interesting choice.

He interrupted the stark silence. "You brought Naelah to the Empire from Coruscant…why are you going after her again?"

I sighed. I didn't like explaining my motives to people, but I guess he deserved an answer. He was my partner, for the time being, and I'd prefer earning his trust over having to watch him every second, waiting for him to try killing me again. "I don't work for the Empire, at least not officially. I'm not above doing odd jobs for Imperial officials on the occasion, but I don't have any sort of contract with them that buys my loyalty. Naelah's father, Moff Tieres, had contacted me while I was on Coruscant, taking care of a gang of scum for an official there. He asked me to find his daughter, who had run off a year or so ago, and return her to Bilbringi. I didn't know why he wanted her at the time, and I didn't ask. It wasn't my business. As we returned here, we were brought aboard a Star Destroyer in orbit, and that's when an Inquisitor got involved."

His eyes widened again, perhaps in fear for the girl. Everyone knew the reputation of the Emperor's Jedi hunters. If they went after you, you were seriously screwed over. "An Imperial Inquisitor," I continued, "can wield the Force. This one, though I haven't ever heard of her individually, radiated power like a fusion reactor. She's taken a personal interest in Naelah, probably meaning the girl is strong with the Force. Her father doesn't want to see Naelah become a twisted version of the Force witch, Lunais, and requested I prevent that by any means necessary, and see her to the Rebellion safely."

Sterlo nodded. By now he had both shoulder plates secured and was putting on one of the armored gauntlets. "I really can't picture Naelah being evil," he murmured, almost to himself.

"Things happen. A lot of Jedi fall prey to the dark side. It's nothing unusual." He had his first gauntlet one and was putting on the second. "As interesting as this conversation surely is for you, we have more immediate things to discuss." I plugged the data card Moff Tieres had provided me into a data reader and tapped a couple of keys. The small holoprojector I had installed as part of tactical planning aboard the ship came to life, bringing forth a blue-colored, three-dimensional schematic of the Imperial government complex to life. It showed the governor's residence, a square building that had the quality of a barracks, several defensive turrets, and a landing platform. "This is the Imperial Government Complex. The Moff's residence, and the building that contains the Empire's main prison and communications hub and the like, is the large building there." I pointed to a small, almost ribbon-like set of lines. "These are a set of secret passages between the buildings and the landing platform. One tunnel also leads out of the complex and into the nearby woods. That's our first major point. We will enter the passages there, under the cover of night, and work our way to the actual building proper."

"We're going to do this at night?"

"Yes. I was sure I was being clear when I spoke."

"Yeah, but why can't we do it during the day?"

"When the majority of the garrison is awake and fully alert, and a fully-trained Imperial Inquisitor is up and about? Are you stupid? I'd like to get in and make it out alive. You don't get paid if you're dead."

"But they wouldn't expect an infiltration during the day."

"But they wouldn't expect one at any time. Lunais no doubt has the place locked up tighter than a Huttese vault. There'll be guards about, but they'll be minimal. The typical night patrol across the grounds, but they still will have difficulty seeing at night, making it easier to slip by if needed. Plus, we're underground in passages known only to the Moff and his senior subordinates. Anyways, I'll continue.

"We will enter the building in one of the sublevels, about three stories underground. We will work our way though the more obscure hallways and other secret passages until we reach here." I pointed out one of the towers of the large building. "The prison complex is located on the higher levels of this tower. It allows the prisoners to be held with little chance of escape. There's one way into the tower. The only other way out is down the side of an obsidian slope nearly thirty stories up with no windows or handholds or anything. It's a fairly secure location."

"How do we know which cell she'll be in?"

"The Moff was gracious enough to provide us with security clearance into the computer network. I have his login and passkey, allowing me access to the computer system and into restricted access areas if needed. We can get her cell number from the computer."

"It all seems pretty easy. Any potential problems along the way?"

He was smarter than he looked. Most people wouldn't have asked that sort of question. "Yes," I answered. "The one way into the tower is going to be the biggest probably. They could easily choke it off with a couple platoons of stormtroopers, which would end our night pretty quickly. I'm hoping we can either fool the security cameras with an optical trick I know, or shut them down completely if that proves impossible, when I access the computer system. Also, the guards in the prison complex are likely to be more alert. Lunais has probably informed them several times over that they're guarding a high priority prisoner. They know the price of failure, and probably will be more alert because of it. And, finally, we will probably have to shoot our way out. We won't be able to return to the spaceport, which means the _Hell's Call_ isn't our way out. Fortunately, there's almost always a shuttle at the landing platform. We'll return to the sublevel and into the tunnel network to get to the landing platform. We can commandeer a shuttle to escape the planet."

"What about the Star Destroyer in orbit? Will we be able to evade a Star Destroyer and its TIE fighters until we can jump to lightspeed?"

"We have to worry about three Star Destroyers. Lunais has a whole task force up there, with enough ground troops and assault vehicles to pacify a heavily-defended planet like Bilbringi. It'll be tricky, but it can be done. _Lambda_-class shuttles are pretty heavily armed, but they're not all that maneuverable. We'll probably end up holding off a swarm of TIEs before we can jump to lightspeed."

He nodded. "It's a pretty thorough plan. Does it cover everything we can run into?"

"Absolutely not. There are always unknown variables involved: computer passkeys not working, Naelah can't walk and we'd have to carry her, no shuttle. We can work around that if the eventuality occurs. I'm good with winging it if we have to."

He nodded again, then brought his hand to rest on the butt of the blaster belted at his side. "Ok. When do we start?"

I walked back over to the armory locker and grabbed out my final piece of equipment: a Merr-Sonn JT-12 jetpack. While not has heavily armored as the comparable Z-6 manufactured by Mitrinomen, it had a concussion warhead built into it. It could come in handy. I attached it to my back plate and turned back to my Sorrusian partner. "We start now. I have a rented swoop bike we'll take out of town to the forest, and then work our way back towards the government complex on the edge of the city. We should be in position to move before nightfall."

He walked to the boarding ramp. "Well then let's get going, eh?" He strode down the ramp into the mid-afternoon sun shining above the landing pit. I followed him out and sealed the _Call_, realizing I'd probably never get a chance to use it again. I activated the ship's self destruct, arming it to detonate by remote or proximity alert. No one would ever get to use it again either. I followed Sterlo out into the city, where he waited by the parked swoop. I mounted it, started the engine, and as soon as my partner mounted behind me, gunned the engine toward the edge of the capitol, noting that tonight would probably be the best adrenaline rush I've had in some time.

**Somewhere in a cell, in the bowels of Bilbringi**

_Weary from days of ongoing torture, I finally let myself be overcome by an unconsciousness that seemed to slip into the room as soon as the Inquisitor had vacated it once more. _ It was strange, the way she took a particular interest in me, but at the moment I could hardly clear my head of this fog that seemed insistent on drowning me in tiredness.

Swooning, I dropped to the cold, hard ground and vaguely heard my legs hit the duracrete floor with a slap. Somewhere within me, I felt a spasm of pain that blossomed from my stomach and radiated throughout the rest of my body. Pulling my legs to my chest, I curled into a fetal position and started rocking; hoping desperately that the pain would just go away for once. My vision was becoming clouded over by crimson and that was when I gave way to what was anchoring me to the floor.

And then I did something I had not done since running away one year ago: I started crying. It wasn't for the anguish that seeped through my body, and somehow the tears I began to shed somehow dulled the pain and allowed me to clear my mind.

But I then realized what I was crying for: the loss of a family life, the loss of my father to the Empire, and the loss of my mother, sister and everything else I once had. Over the past year I had become a hardened girl, but as soon as I returned back to Bilbringi, it was hard to forget about your past when you were right where it all took place. You would breathe the air and smell the scent you used to smell during your childhood, or you would see how the sun rises differently on this planet compared to Coruscant, or you could just feel the comfort of being back home; those things somehow managed to crawl under my façade and bring up flashes of my childhood, where everything was so right.

How did everything grow to become so wrong?

Shuddering, I realized the spasm of pain had passed once more and I was able to sit up, amidst feeling every bruise on my body. I blinked slowly and took in my surroundings, checking and checking for something that would help me get out of this bloody place. That, more than anything else, is what I wanted to do right now.

I quickly wiped my eyes of the remnants of my tears, and put my hands on the wall behind me; using it to help me up, I was finally able to stand, albeit shakily, and get a better look of the cell. Circling around twice, keeping my hand firmly on the cell wall, I was able to spot weaknesses and strong points in the duracrete—some of which I could use to my advantage.

Turning back to my corner of the cell, I padded over and sat back down on the cold, wet floor and resumed thinking about an escape plan. It would be easiest if I had outside help to get me out of this bloody cell, but I would have to make do with myself.

_And the Force._

The thought rang through my head like a clarion bell, swiftly clearing my head of all other conscious stream of thought. I felt something strange itching to be released and I could hardly keep it down. Suddenly, I began to look around the cell once more, and yet again my eyes fell on the door. It had to be possible for me to bend the Force enough to open that door; it just had to be possible.

Scrambling to a standing position, I walked over to the durasteel door and concentrated on it, and attempted to focus everything I had on opening that bloody door. Not really knowing what I was doing, I laid my hands on the durasteel and tried to command whatever power I had inside me.

After standing there for at least five minutes with nothing actually happening—no significant damage to the door, no clicking of a lock, no _anything—_I cursed loudly and stumbled backwards into the cell. Merely focusing on the door had drained me of the energy I had, and my stubbornness to get out of the cell had also been weakened.

Standing in the center of the cell, I merely watched the door for the longest time, and then collapsed into a heap. Swiftly, I brought my knees to my chest and rest my chin upon them, still staring at the bloody door. It vexed me, everything about it—everything about the cell, and the Inquisitor and the Empire—_everything_ vexed me. I wanted to escape so badly I could taste the want on my tongue, but I couldn't get anywhere.

Seething in frustration, I finally managed to crawl back to my corner and I sat in brooding silence for awhile, and suddenly sleep was crawling up me, sucking me into its hazy stupor in such a way that it resembled a leech almost. I shivered at the thought of a leech sucking my blood, but soon I could do nothing more than fall into said hazy stupor, with resting my weary soul as the only thing on my mind.

**Bilbringi, Outside Imperial Compound**

The world was a bright green in the privacy of my helmet. The night-for-day function lit up the area at the edge of the forest, allowing me to see it as if it were day, though green-tinted. I could see the entrance to the tunnel network of the compound, a small grey bunker made of ferrocrete, standing in stark contrast to the forest around it. Out beyond the woods, nearly out of eyesight, walked a patrol of two Imperial Army troopers, still alert as ever despite the late hour. They couldn't see me or Sterlo, as far as I could see, which was a vast improvement over other missions I've done. We might just pull this off.

"Do you see anyone?" Sterlo asked. He had no vision-enhancement equipment, so he was nearly blind in the dark of the woods.

"Two Army troopers. They don't see us."

"And are you completely certain of that?" He replied sarcastically.

"If they had," I muttered, "we wouldn't be discussing it. We'd be shooting our way past a platoon of them."

"Ah, of course."

"The bunker is maybe 100 meters ahead and slightly to the right." I pointed off in the direction directly towards the entrance. "We just need to get over there quietly and we should be good." I wasn't usually one to worry, but to me, it was amazing a Dark Jedi like Lunais hadn't sensed the tunnel network. It was surprising to me, and honestly, a little suspicious. But there was no way Lunais could know we're coming…Right?

"Well then," Sterlo responded. "Let's go."

"Not yet. Wait for the soldiers to continue on."

I heard him groan. "Piroc, I'm really not one to sit around," He informed me agitatedly. "You're a kriffing Mandalorian! Can't you take them?"

"I'm hardly invincible," I snapped. "And neither are you. If you want to risk getting us both killed, you can stay here. I didn't get this far in life by being a completely clueless moron. You don't go tearing your way into an Imperial base, especially one occupied by an Inquisitor. Stop being stupid and use your head, assuming it isn't completely filled with air."

I could see via my helmet's peripherals that Sterlo's head hung in shame. Finally I got to the gung-ho Sorrusian. I didn't need him to get me killed. It wasn't going to do Naelah any good. "Sorry," he muttered, almost under his breath. "I know this is really important…it's just easier for me to live life…well, differently."

I looked at him. "I don't mind that. Just don't be completely stupid. And you can't take life too seriously anyways."

He looked at me, a confused look on his face. "Why?"

Beneath my helmet, I smiled. "You don't get out of life alive anyway. Why bother?"

Sterlo smiled and laughed. "You could look at it like that."

I looked back up the hill towards the spot where the two guards had been. They had begun to move away from us, back towards the complex to continue their rounds. "Now we move." I made a quick motion with my arm. "Go."

Sterlo took off, quickly covering the distance between our cover and the bunker entrance. I followed close behind, trying to be as quiet as possible. We reached the bunker, and I quickly glanced it over. The door looked pretty thick, probably a meter of solid durasteel. There was a keypad on the doorframe, no doubt to input a passcode for entry. I activated my helmet's data reader and brought up information from the Moff's data card. I found what I was looking for in less than a minute: a 6-digit code. I punched the keys and with an almost-ominous hiss, the door slid open.

"I believe that would be our invite inside," I said. "Keep close. There's probably no lights."

He nodded, and we both plunged into blackness.

**Somewhere in a cell, in the bowels of Bilbringi**

_Unfortunately the sleep I tried to garner from my utter weariness had faded away as quickly as it had come on._ Unable to sleep off my exhaustion, I grumbled to myself and pulled myself up to a standing position; at once, I began to pace. However, pacing wasn't nearly enough for me; I needed to sprint through the busiest streets of Coruscant or something like that, _anything_ like that. If I spent one more minute in this tiny, cramped cell my head would explode.

But that idea was quickly crushed as I tripped and fell to the floor, hardly aware of what happened in that brief minute. Pulling my torso up, I twisted around and looked behind me to see if I had tripped on anything in particular, but my search proved to be fruitless. There was nothing but me and duracrete in this stupid, good-for-nothing cell.

Groaning, I pulled my legs forward and realized that they felt like deadweights. _No,_ I thought desperately, panic cleaving my thoughts into incomprehensible pieces. _Oh Force no, I'm not—they're not—I'm not _paralyzed_ am I?_But I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as I gently prodded my legs and pulled them up to my chest. _Just tired…just tired is all._ Shaking my head, I couldn't help but smirk at me, jumping to silly conclusions. I almost never jumped to silly conclusions; I was rational and headstrong, not an impractical fool.

_Force, I've got to get out of here._ Looking straight up I let a huge, built up breath escape my half-closed lips. _What in the galaxy did I do to deserve this? _No, tears might not have been pricking the back of my eyelids, but I was certainly feeling the desperateness of my situation. "I've got to get out of here," I said to no one in particular, and looked down at my forearms; covered in angry red welts from the numerous torture sessions I had been put through—many of them still fresh in my mind—they sent something burning through my mind. Looking over the rest of my body, I saw fresh cuts, bruises and scrapes all over—all of it as sickly as the next and I couldn't help feel an ache spread throughout my entire body. "I can't let her do this to me anymore!" I shouted out loud, and heard my angry voice reverberate off the duracrete walls.

But just looking around the cell I knew that task was impossible. I had no means of getting out on my own, and certainly no outside help. The only person who knew that I was stuck in some forsaken cell in the bowels of Bilbringi was my good-for-nothing father. He wasn't going to do anything to help me now. Grumbling in frustration, I slid back to the wall so I could rest my head against it and get lost in my own rage.

Nobody was coming for me, nobody was going to save me, and I wasn't even going to be able to save myself. I was as good as dead, unless I joined the Empire which was not a possibility.

And being adamant about that would cost me my life.

**Outside the Imperial Compound, Bilbringi**

_Darkness. _Boy was that a complete understatement. No, it was more like plunging into the center of an abyss and never knowing if you were going to make it out alive. I couldn't see an inch in front of me and that alone made me uncomfortable, but the thought that we were pressing in on Imperial soldiers, where an Imperial Inquisitor was housed made me even edgier than I already was.

"I can hear you from all the way up here," Piroc grumbled from ahead of me. "You sound like a herd of kriffing banthas. Keep it down." Decked out in his Mandalorian armor, he could be considered the pure image of absolute rigidity and there was definitely an aura of control that generated fear around him where ever he went.

"Well sorry." But he'd have to be decked out in a lot more than Mandalorian armor to scare me. Taking a moment to compose myself, I started moving more quietly and slithered along beside him. "That better?" I asked sarcastically.

He didn't even flinch. "Yes."

Biting back a witty reply, I forced myself to focus on the situation at hand again and realized that we were coming up on a lighted area. Blinking in shock, I glanced at Piroc and saw him hesitate ahead of me for the briefest of moments before continuing to pull ahead. "Shouldn't we—"

Shaking his head was the cutting response I received, and instantly I fell silent. Together, the two of us moved ahead, skirting the edge of the light and he fell back almost at once and then I saw the reason why: A squad of Imperial stormtroopers, white armor gleaming in the low light of the chamber ahead of us, stood guard by the entrance.

"And how," I hissed in the lowest voice possible. "Are we supposed to get past these guys?" Eyeing the stormtroopers warily, I backed further into the shadows.

"Follow me," was his only reply.

As far as I could see, the break-out had just been blown straight to hell. No less than a dozen stormtroopers stood right outside the entrance into the complex. There was no way both Sterlo and I could drop a dozen of them without alerting the rest of the garrison. This was bad.

I reactivated my night-for-day vision and started searching the tunnel system around me. There was one other passage, branching down to our right and down slightly. I drew my blaster and headed down the tunnel.

"Where are you going?" Sterlo asked. Hell, I wish I knew. At this point, I was winging it. We needed a distraction. Then, it clicked.

"This tunnel branches off a bit of ways ahead. One tunnel heads down to the landing pad, and the other to the barracks building. We're gonna need a distraction, and a big one. Ever play with thermal charges?" I could tell by the puzzled look on his face that he hadn't. "Basically one of them can level a small building and cause a good deal of damage to the surrounding real estate."

"Sithspawn," he cursed. He picked up on what was going to go down. "The tunnel will cave in! We could get trapped!"

"We won't get trapped. You can set it up on a timer or a remote detonator. We'll be using the remote." I opened one of the satchels on my jumpsuit and pulled out a compact cylinder. We advance farther ahead down the tunnel to a branch in the path. I gestured down to our left. "We're going to level the barracks. We'll detonate once we're safely away. Once everyone is running like crazy trying to figure out what the hell is going on, we'll sneak in and get the girl. Simple."

I looked back at Sterlo. He caught my gaze and held it. "I somehow think," he sighed, "it won't be that easy."


	10. Chapter IX: Into the Nexu's Lair

Outside the Imperial Compound, Bilbringi

**Outside the Imperial Compound, Bilbringi**

_Well, not being easy was an understatement. _A huge, ground-shaking understatement—and that was only the half of it. Here I was, a simple-minded Sorrusian who had never cared about Imperial troopers—

Until now.

"So you're going to blow up the barracks?" I cried in disbelief as we started running. "Do you realize how idiotic that idea could turn out? I mean, you really don't seem to comprehend that we'll have a huge layer of dirt and—"

"Stop worrying," he replied, cutting over my outraged protests. Surprisingly, the Mandalorian could run pretty well despite his suit, I was shocked and impressed, even though I hated to admit it.

"Oh, of course I shouldn't," I retorted sarcastically. "I'm not going to get buried alive by rock at all—nope, not Sterlo." Glaring at the back of Piroc's helmeted head, I awaited the ever-so-knowledgeable person's response.

"You're a Sorrusian," Piroc said in a bored tone, and if I could see his face I was sure I'd see him rolling his eyes. "You can squeeze out a lot easier than I can."

"But I can't get out if a rock squishes me," I snapped back and groaned as I saw his fingers itching toward something in his pocket. "What are you doing?" I demanded as soon as I saw this tiny gesture.

"Do you ever shut up?" he responded bitingly.

"Yeah, when my life isn't in danger." I fixed the back of Piroc's helmet with a glare, but the Mandalorian wouldn't have noticed anyways, his fingers were still moving toward his pocket. "You aren't going to blow it up."

"Yes," He replied calmly, finally pulling out a small metal detonator. "I am. Do you want to get the girl back or not?" He glanced back at me, and I'm sure his eyebrow was quirked underneath that helmet of his.

"We can do this in some other way," I panted desperately as his fingers moved over the metal piece deftly. "There's got to be a better way—a safer way—a way where we won't get killed!" Grumbling angrily, I moved even faster to try and catch up to Piroc.

"No." And without another word, his finger hit the bright red button.

And that's when everything went to hell.

**Somewhere in a cell, in the bowels of Bilbringi**

_Sitting idly in my cell, with nothing but my own torment to comfort me, I gazed at the dull duracrete walls and wished desperately that _something_ would help me. _I didn't want to be in this bloody cell anymore, and I certainly didn't want to face the Inquisitor's sickly sweet face again. Just the thought of her purely innocent face with eyes like the devil made my skin crawl—no, that was definitely something I wasn't looking forward to.

But maybe I wouldn't have to wait so long.

Suddenly, as if in answer to my prayers, a huge, rumbling cacophony of noise reached my cell, and the entire room was shaking. Thank the Force I was sitting, otherwise I would have tumbled over without a moment's notice, but I really don't think I would have cared.

At this moment I was too surprised and excited to care much about my own well being; all of my energy was focused on whatever the hell that noise was. It sounded like a distinct—a distinctly _large_ explosion occurring somewhere—where ever I was anyways.

But still, this explosion lifted my spirits to a nearly unreachable height, and I hoped fervently that it had to do with someone trying to rescue me. For the first time in a long time, a small smile crept into the corner of my mouth, and slowly I began to feel anxious. Already the adrenaline was pumping through my veins and it was beginning to clear my head.

Although, I highly doubted I would be able to do much good in a fight. Grimacing, I glanced down at my bruised and cut up body and after I heaved a sigh I leaned my head back against the duracrete wall.

_Well,_ I thought wryly. _At least this might be my day to escape._

The roar of the explosion hit me and the Sorrusian like a pillowcase full of soap bars. We were blasted off our feet by the massive shockwave roaring up the tunnel. I felt myself get lifted up off my feet and hit the ground in a clatter of _beskar_ plates. My helmet's audio filters kicked in, blocking out the glaring roar of the explosion blasting up the tunnel. I could feel the flaring heat racing over me and up the tunnel even through my armor.

Suddenly, it was over. The deafening blast had faded, and the heat was diminishing, I stood up, shaking off a fairly decent layer of dirt and rocks that had been shaken loose from the ceiling, and looked around for Sterlo.

He was pretty easy to find. His pile was probably bigger than mine had been. All I could see of him was a lone arm. I sure hope it hadn't been blasted off his body. I wouldn't hear the end of it, if he hadn't lost a ton of blood. I grabbed his hand and pulled, satisfied to find it was still attached to him, yanking him clear out of the pile. He looked pretty dazed.

"Are you good?"

"What?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Damn it, the blast had probably done a number to his hearing. My helmet protected me from it, but he had been unprotected from it. His hearing would hopefully come back in time, but I didn't have time for this right now. I grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him after me up the tunnel.

We ran up the tunnel to the entrance to the Governor's Residence. I glanced in, and I could see I had been right. The stormtroopers had gone, probably sent to secure the outer grounds from further attack. I walked right in, the deafened Sorrusian behind me. I pulled my blast cannon off the shoulder strap from my back, holding it in front of me, ready to fire at the first hostile that poked his head out of a side room. Behind me, I heard the rustle of Sterlo's jacket as he snapped out the Bryar I gave him as an armament.

The hallways were deserted as we snuck through the hallway to the prison tower. I was following the floor plan in my helmet visor, and just before the blast door closing off the tower I turned into a side room, Sterlo sliding in behind me. The room was small and occupied by a desk setup. And on the desk was our ticket to Naelah: one computer terminal linked to the Imperial network. I sat down at the desk. Sterlo stood by the door, weapon still drawn and ready, as I began typing into the terminal.

"Hey Piroc, how quick can you get into the network?" Sterlo's voice was lower now, hopefully meaning his hearing was back. "Will the explosion buy us enough time?"

"I'm counting on it," I replied. My gloved fingers tapped against the keys, quickly typing in the passcodes for the Moff's personal server. His security clearance should give us access to anything in the network. They all proved to be correct, and I was in the system. I called up the prison roster, quickly scanning for Naelah's name on it. Found it. "She's in Cell 211," I told him.

"Well let's get going then," He said indignantly, already eager to throw himself into heroic mode.

"Hold up. There's something else I still need to do." I called up the security network and quickly overrode the settings on the tower's camera system.

"Oh come on, what else could you possibly—"

I continued tapping at the keys. "I'm rerouting the camera systems to continue playing a shot of the corridors in a loop. The footage will play over, but the time stamps will continue to change as normal in a security shot."

"Ah," He said quickly, dropping his head in mute embarrassment. "Sounds…err…difficult."

I hit a few more keys and pulled away from the computer terminal. "Not terribly. You can learn a trick or two from a good slicer. They know how to get around a computer system."

I stood up and grabbed my blast cannon, and the two of us went back out into the main hallway. The blast door wasn't too far away. We got to it and we covered the two hallways that led to different parts of the citadel from the door. As Sterlo continued covering all the halls, I went up to the keypad by the door and tapped in the security code from the Moff's datapad. The keypad beeped, and the door slid open with an ominous hiss. "This is where the fun begins," I muttered. Today was definitely a good day for someone to die. I was going to make sure I wasn't that someone. Blast cannon raised and Sterlo behind me, I crossed the door's threshold and into the tower.

Yes, that was definitely an explosion I heard from somewhere outside my cell. Though the sounds had now dimmed out, I was more than jumpy with anticipation; the adrenaline pumping through my veins was less than desired, but I didn't eve care at this point.

But it didn't help that I was having difficulty moving.

Gritting my teeth in frustration, I struggled once more to climb up the wall and get into a standing position. Unfortunately, the screaming pain in my legs wouldn't allow me to do that. Trembling again, I fell to the floor and my hand hit the duracrete with a slap so hard it made me wince, but that was nothing compared to the ferocity I felt rolling around within me. "Curse it all to Mustafar and back!" I spat at the wall angrily. "If I don't regain usage of these limbs, I can't move and escape!"

I began grumbling incoherently, anger reeling me into its hot appendages. I felt a weird numbing sensation trickling down my thighs, but paid it no heed; I just let myself succumb to the wet, angry tears that were now rolling down my face in droves. I had had it in this Force forsaken place! I didn't want to be here anymore!

Slowly, things began dawning on me as I finally let my petulant teenager angst roll away from me as quickly as it had come. Finally, I began to see that someone _was _coming for me—that much was obvious. Why else would there be an explosion if not for a distraction? Several hardcore months in Coruscants lower levels had taught me well, and I knew that this was going to be a crucial time.

And damn it, I had to be ready for it.

Piroc, after doing his fancy little trick with the cameras, had led the way out of the room and together we were making our way down a hallway that would supposedly lead us straight to Naelah. In a small portion of my mind, I wondered why Lunais wouldn't have kept Naelah in a higher security prison, but maybe there was something going on that we didn't understand.

"Whatever you do," Piroc growled from ahead of me. It was obvious he wasn't feeling too comfortable with this situation; too easy, he would say. "Don't mess this up. Getting Naelah out is going to be hard enough as it is, so keep focused."

"I already know that," I responded bitingly and fiddled with the Bryar in my hands. "I'm not some idiot, Piroc; you might want to keep tabs on that fact." The bitter tone in my voice surprised me, but I said nothing more on the subject, and neither did he. We had a mission to accomplish after all.

Suddenly, without any notion of time passing, we were sprinting down the hallway, looking along the walls for the numbers that would indicate Naelah's cell. Any kind of serenity I had felt before—however slim that might have been—had vanished and my adrenaline was now surging through me, making me edgy and restless with anticipation. I didn't know how much longer I could deal with—

"Stop moving," Piroc hissed suddenly and pulled me against the wall, trapping my forearm with one of his gloved hands. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought." Glancing left and right, seemingly assessing the situation, he apparently saw what he was looking for. "Alright, we need to move twice as quickly now. We don't have the cover of that distraction anymore."

Piroc might not have been able to panic, but I was certainly more than able. Looking at him with wide eyes, I muttered, "You said we'd have enough time to get Naelah out—"

"Apparently I was wrong," He snapped in response. I could only imagine the frustration he was feeling with himself right now. "Lunais must have sensed us get inside. Probably had some techs take a look at the computer system, which means we're locked out of the system. You still want to get her out, don't you?" The caustic tone of his voice was obvious, and he wasn't doing much to try and cover it up.

"Look, man, that's all I've ever wanted to do from the moment I touched foot in Bilbringi. She's the reason for what I'm doing." Even as I said that, I noticed it would sound a little strange if an outsider were listening, but Piroc was no outsider here. Plus, he wouldn't really pay any mind to what I had said anyways.

"Great, then we keep moving to find that damned cell," He said with angry sarcasm. Fixing his blaster, he moved forward down the hallway, obviously expecting me to follow him unquestioningly.

"You've got a team here, Piroc," I reminded him, using my Sorrusian skills to move in front of him. "You may be the leader, but you've got someone else you can rely on here too. What can I do to help?"

Stopping in his tracks, Piroc merely regarded me for several seconds, obviously contemplating what to do with me.

My stomach fell through the floor. Maybe that wasn't the question I wanted to ask.

_Damn it_, I cursed silently to myself. I had noticed the small recording light on one of the security cameras flare back to life, which meant we had no cover anymore. It was all about speed and better firepower from here.

If I were Lunais, I'd probably send a team of stormtroopers to cover the exit out of the tower. One way in and out never looked so horrible. But right now the important thing was getting Naelah out of the cell she was locked in. We raced down the hallway of the detention center, looking at the numbers on the doors until we found 211.

As he did before, Sterlo covered both sides of the passageway with the Bryar. I accessed the door's lock, and we were locked out. All the passcodes had been changed. It just kept getting worse. There were only two options: blow the door open, which could hurt or kill the girl, or slowly cut my way through. Judging by how things were going so far, time wasn't really a luxury we had right now. I reached into my satchel and pulled out a roll of thermal tape.

The Sorrusian looked at me for a second. "What's that?"

This wasn't going to go over well. "It's thermal explosive tape. It's designed to effect rapid entry through a security door."

"What?" Sterlo's eyes just got as big as a Hutt eyeing a cargo hold of jewels. "You're blowing the damned thing open?"

"We don't have time for me to cut our way in. Right now we've got to do it as fast as possible, or we're all going to get killed, which means we went through all this trouble for nothing." I rapped my knuckles against the door three times, and I got three cautious knocks back from the inside. "Naelah, if you can hear me in there, get as far away from the door as possible and cover your eyes." I started putting the tape along the edges of the doorframe as Sterlo continued to cover the hallway.

I hooked the detonator up to the tape as the roar of blaster fire opened up from down one of the hallways. Sterlo dove into the alcove of the doorway alongside me, stuck the Bryar out and started to return fire. "There's going to be a slight problem," he said.

"Really? Didn't notice." I thumbed the activator on the tape, and as it blasted the door inwards I drew one of my WESTAR blasters and fired down the hallway. A squad of stormtroopers, nine in total, was working their way up the hall, using the alcoves of the doors as cover like we were. It was a shame they still managed to keep so close together. I pulled out another thermal detonator, a Class-C model, thumbed the arming switch, and tossed it in the direction of the squad of troopers. I could hear the squad leader shouting at his men as the grenade hit the deck and exploded.

"Piroc, she's hurt!" Sterlo had the girl in his left arm, trying to hold her up, keeping his right arm free to shoot.

Despite the agony she had to be in, she could recognize a name when she heard it. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Her voice was bitterly angry, but I couldn't really blame her for that either.

As I returned fire at the four stormtroopers remaining in the hall, I heard Sterlo tell her that it would take a bit to explain and we'd all talk later. I aimed at one of the troopers and fired, hitting him square in the face. His helmet flashed and smoked from the shot as he fell. I fired at another trooper, arming his own thermal detonator, and hit his hand, detonating the grenade he was about to throw, and a second shot hit him in his chest, dropping the now one-armed trooper to the deck. Sterlo managed to hit a third stormtrooper, blasting three rounds into his chest. I shot the fourth as he shot at us, his shots tearing into the wall near us as he dropped dead.

"Come on. We've got to get out of here."

"What? Don't you guys have a plan?" Naelah asked with her haughty attitude I had noticed back in the cantina. I was not in the mood to put up with it.

"Yes, we had a plan. A pretty damn good one too. But your Inquisitor pal ruined it for us." I jogged down the hallway, the other two keeping up despite Naelah's obvious pain. "We need to get back to the tunnels and to that shuttle."

"You've been using the tunnels?"

"Your father was kind enough to provide us with a floor plan. We used the tunnels to get in here."

"And to blow up the barracks," Sterlo added unnecessarily.

Naelah looked at both me and Sterlo in turn. After a few days in Imperial custody, she was probably happy to see something besides an Inquisitor and stormtroopers, even if one of us was responsible for landing her there in the first place. "Well, if you want to use the tunnel system, there is another way out."


	11. Chapter X: Fire vs Ice

Bilbringi, Lower tunnel systems; Royal family exits

**Bilbringi, Lower tunnel systems; Royal family exits**

_I had no idea how to even describe what was going on at the moment the three of us trooped through the unknown tunnel systems. _Unfortunately, I was stuck with these complete idiots who knew nothing of the Bilbringi system, but what was even more absurd was that I was actually helping the man who caught me and put me here in the first place and then in an even more twisted manner he was actually trying to save me.

"So would you care to explain to me how you're surviving?" Sterlo interrupted my twisted thoughts. "I mean, you look horrible…no offense."

My mouth turned up in a grimace as I glanced back at the Sorrusian who happened to be the only one I actually trusted in this quaint little mission. "You'd be surprised what a determined Tieres is capable of doing." My words were ironic, but only to me and possibly Piroc, if he even picked up on the slight sarcastic note in my voice. "Anyways, we should be approaching the end of the tunnels in a few moments, so just hang tight."

"Take it easy and save your energy," Piroc added in an indifferent voice and I whipped around to glance at him. As per usual, his face was hidden by his helmet so it wasn't like I could read it, but just the strange way he seemed to actually worry about me caught me off guard.

"Thanks…" I said hesitantly and waited for the punch line.

"I've got a promise to keep to your father." Ah, yep. I knew that one was coming.

"Is that all that ever matters to you?" I couldn't help but inject my voice with some unnecessary venom, but it didn't really matter. If Piroc heard it he would assume it was because I still resented him for capturing me and bringing me to my near-death.

"It's my job."

"Exactly! That's all you ever seem to do. It's like your feelings don't even matter, and all you're doing is doing what other people are telling you. You aren't allowed to be a free, independent thinking individual because of whatever job you get assigned. And the people you hunt down," I whirled around and looked up into the visor of his helmet, my expression as fierce as ever. "They don't mean anything to you, do they?"

I'm sure underneath that visor of his, Piroc was glaring at me with all the contempt he could possibly possess. His stance hadn't changed, but that didn't mean his face was lined with disgust. "I'm as free-thinking as anyone. And not everyone gets the fairytale life you led, princess."

I snorted in surprise and said, "If you've been paying attention, Piroc, you'll realize that my life isn't full of that fairytale fluff. In fact, for the past several days I've been tortured and kept in prison thanks to your _lovely_ capturing skills." Sarcasm must have been my thing for the day, because it dripped on every word I spat in Piroc's face.

"Note the past tense. _Led_," He snapped. "The daughter of a governor has it easy. You know nothing of the real world." Oh, now he was getting sarcastic; well I'll be damned.

"How dare you—" But before I could finish my accusation, Sterlo rested a hand on my arm and pulled me out of my argument. I looked over at him and he just shook his head at me. "You're right," I said, agreeing to Sterlo's silent request. "We shouldn't be arguing when we need to focus on getting out of here. Lunais is probably waiting for us somewhere; she can probably pick up on my Force powers."

"Yeah, and we don't want to have her blowing up the tunnels on us or anything. She might have stolen that idea from Piroc or something," He jibed while winking at me and I couldn't help but let out a trickle of laughter at the brazenness.

"Keep laughing," He growled in response as we started moving forward. "When it comes to my head or yours, it'll be yours." His words sobered us instantly, and there was an undercurrent of tension flowing from him to Sterlo and back that I tried to figure out, but it was impossible. Whatever feud these two had, it remained between them.

"There's the light ahead," I breathed as the end of the tunnel started getting brighter and brighter with every step we took. "We'll come out on a lower landing platform, a secret one that my father used to use for shipments not meant to be seen by Imperial eyes—" Suddenly, the words died on my tongue and my body practically convulsed with pain I never thought I could feel. And then, I remembered that it was possible that Lunais still have influence over me, even from a distance, due to the Force connection we had. I collapsed onto the ground and started writhing against Sterlo's arms. "She's here." I looked up into his eyes as they widened, and then I felt him lift me up.

"What? Damn it," Piroc said, assessing the situation immediately as they continued forward, me in Sterlo's arms. "Sterlo, at all costs, we have to get Naelah out of here alive. We don't matter. She's what Lunais wants."

"You can't have a go at a Dark Sider alone," Sterlo muttered as though he didn't want me to hear. "If she's doing this to Naelah from however far away, think of what she could do to you in close combat? And Naelah has the Force." His words were valid, but Piroc didn't seem to consider them.

"Listen, I've dealt with Dark Jedi before. It's nothing new to me."

"No," I whimpered while turning to look at his helmet. "You can't do this by yourself." Slowly, I began to latch onto what comforting thoughts I had to stop the pain that was racking through my body. "Put me down, Sterlo." That Tieres pride was washing over me once again, and I felt the Force surging through me as it battled back whatever the hell Lunais did to me. "I'm helping."

"No," Sterlo gasped and stared at me. "You're practically falling apart."

"I have no intention of getting you killed, Princess."

"I'm not letting you do this."

"You aren't going to do this. End of discussion."

"Sorry guys," I laughed blackly and looked at the light ahead of us. "She's coming," I winced as a particular powerful surge of pain swept through me. "Get ready; I can only hold her for—"

"Absolutely not," Piroc interrupted and started pulling out his gun. "The witch is mine. Sterlo, I want you to get her to the shuttle on the main platform while I hold her off. She wants Naelah, and if Naelah is captured again, it's over."

"You have no idea," I muttered more to myself than anybody, and then I looked at him fiercely once more. "I'm not going to watch you die. As much as I hate you, the fate you would get by going out there is far crueler than anything I would ever wish upon you."

"You're not doing anything. You are going to the shuttle. Sterlo is going with you. I will handle Lunais. It's final."

"I'm going out there and using whatever I can to help you. We'll only defeat her if the three of us work together; she'll kill us if we work alone…or worse." My plea was passionate, and I could see Sterlo giving into my words but I had no clue what Piroc was going to say.

"No." Oh, right, I knew that one was coming.

"But—"

"Stop acting like a child and get on the _kriffing_ shuttle." His words were like a slap in the face, but I pulled back my shoulders and looked up at him indignantly. "Stop being a stubborn child," he repeated chillingly which hardly made me shrink.

"I'm not a damned child and I've had more experience with this witch than you have," I retorted just as callously. "You can't honestly expect me to sit by while you get yourself killed."

"I'm not going to get any of us killed today."

"What do I have to do to make you see that having me out there is what you need to beat _her_?" I practically shouted at him, but Sterlo's reassuring presence kept my tone down to an audible hiss of fury.

"Sterlo, you had better listen to me. You are taking her to the shuttle as soon as I have Lunais occupied. Understand?" He was fiddling with some things on his belt and I saw a gun and some other weapons shifting around.

"You're serious," I breathed in shock, thinking he was just being as stubborn as I was.

"Are we waiting for you?" Sterlo said, talking over my hushed whisper. He was obviously with Piroc on this one, and it pissed me off to no end.

He hesitated, and it was for a moment too long. "Get her on the shuttle. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"I—" But before I could finish my argument he was gone. "You can't be serious," I said as I whirled on Sterlo. "You're letting him get himself killed? He's my best chance at getting out of here alive, do you think I'm going to sit around and let him take blow after blow from that witch?" Trembling in fury, I looked up at the Sorrusian and waited for him to give me a decent answer.

"You wouldn't make it."

I recoiled and narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"You go out there, you're dead. Piroc is right, as much as you and I hate to admit that. You can't die, and neither of us is letting that happen." He was certain in his decision, and I knew that there was no way I could try and maneuver around it.

"Damn it," I muttered sullenly and turned back around. "Well get your slippery ass up here then."

"You got it, Princess," he replied mockingly, and luckily for him that I was stewing in my own foul temper to really do anything about it.

I walked out into the dim light of the Bilbringi morning, out onto a smaller landing platform jutting out over a steep cliff. I held my blast cannon in my right hand, while opening and closing my left. I could almost taste the Force witch on the light breeze. It made me uneasy.

I blinked for a moment, and as my eyes opened again, she was there, robes flapping in the breeze. In her right hand, she held a compact metal cylinder: a lightsaber, the traditional weapon of many Force-using groups across the galaxy. She cast aside her maroon cloak and stood there, garbed in a tight red bodysuit. Her lightsaber flared to light, glowing a blood red. I dropped my rifle at my feet and drew the two WESTAR blasters belted at my side. She spun the lightsaber in an elaborate pattern in front of her, the blade creating sheets of red flame in the air. I brought my blasters up into a ready position. My fingers tightened on the triggers, ready to begin pouring fire at the Inquisitor.

"I didn't realize you were involved in this, Mandalorian." She smiled tightly, her yellow eyes mocking me. "I should have known. The break-in was too calculated for a typical Rebel group. Imagine my surprise when I found out I'd finally have the honor of meeting one of your kind in combat."

My blasters didn't waver. "That's a shame. I've fought many of your kind."

She cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? And how did that go for you?"

"I'm the one that's still breathing."

"Of course." Her lightsaber hand fell to her side, and her other arm came up, almost dramatically. "It's a shame you won't walk away from this." And with that, her hand flashed, and lightning leapt from her fingertips toward me. I dove to my right and rolled. I came up on my feet with both blasters blazing.

Her lightsaber carved red flame through the air, intercepting every shot I sent her way into the durasteel platform. I kept the fire on with my left hand weapon, and I brought up my right arm and launched a whipcord cable at her feet.

She leapt to the side, the cable missing by a mere yard, but she was flying into the fire I was pouring into that direction with my left blaster.

It was almost child's play to her.

Even before she hit the ground, her lightsaber was flashing side to side, deflecting shots left and right. I added more fire with my right hand weapon, in addition to several darts fired from my knee pads. A few of the darts slipped through, as well as a few shots from my blasters.

Lunais started to advance forward, which I responded to by activating my jetpack with a flick of my eyes toward the corner of my HUD. Now I had the high ground. I continued to fire at Lunais from above, which she started to counter with more acrobatics than lightsaber deflection. She launched another barrage of lightning at me. I easily avoided the blast by leaning to my right, launching me out of the path of her blasts.

I saw her pull back her arm and, shockingly to me, hurled her lightsaber at me. I cut off my jetpack and dropped thirty feet to land on the landing platform. I held out my left arm, and with my right hand, I activated my flamethrower at the nearing Lunais.

She leapt backwards, but not before being caught in the center of the blast of flame. Her bodysuit was apparently flameproof, but I could see, as I fired more at her from my WESTAR blasters, that the fire had taken her by surprise. I activated my jetpack again, and as I rocketed toward the leaping witch, I again fired my whipcord launcher.

This time it caught her around her ankles.

The witch was yanked to the metal of the platform at a high speed and bounced twice as she hit and was dragged at a high speed across the durasteel. I flew toward the edge of the platform, and the massive cliff.

She wasn't going that easily.

Lunais called her lightsaber back to her hand. Again, the weapon flared into a demonic existence. She swung, haphazardly cutting the cable. And, with horror, I could see out of my rear vision in my helmet the lightsaber again flying toward me.

As the lightsaber hit my jetpack, it ignited what fuel was left in the tanks. The jetpack exploded violently, blasting me forward and off the side of the platform. Thinking quickly, I flicked my eyes to the corner of my HUD, activating my wrist blades. I dug the blades into the hard metal of the platform's side, quickly halting my fall, but nearly yanking my arm clear out of my sockets.

_Damn it_, I cursed to myself. With great pain, I pulled my left arm free and started to pull myself up and over the lip of the platform's side. I grabbed my WESTAR from the ground and brought it up in time to hold off Lunais as she sprinted in for what she must have thought would be an easy kill.

I was sorry to disappoint her. I dodged to the side as her lightsaber slashed through the space I just occupied. I swung my fist up, still with vibroblades drawn, into her stomach. She gasped, clearly as shocked as I was at how well that worked. I pulled it out, stained with her blood, and slashed across into her arm.

The lightsaber dropped from her hand, clanking on the metal deck of the platform. And with one final blow, I knocked her over the side.

I stood at the edge of the platform and watched her fall over the side and hit the rocks below. To my grim satisfaction, she didn't move. Not that I had expected her to. No one, not even a Force user, could survive a fall from that height. I holstered both blasters and stumbled as one of my legs caved under my weight. The explosion hadn't been all that friendly to me. I limped across the platform towards the ladder up to the main platform, and the waiting shuttle.

Well, I couldn't argue that Piroc's skills were undoubtedly some of the swiftest, cleanest and sharpest skills I had ever seen. Though I was half-dragging Naelah to the shuttle, I could still see the heated battle perfectly. A flash of blood red here, a spark of light there and two blurring shapes darting around the landing platform, never resting in one space for a long amount of time; I was absolutely amazed by the speed and dexterity at which they moved.

"I can't believe he's actually doing this," Naelah said, amazement lacing her voice. "I thought he would be dead by the first minute." She paused and watched him slide across the platform.

"Well, that's Piroc for you," I replied stiffly and tried to mask my own amazement. It was one thing to have Naelah be openly dumbfounded by Piroc's skill, but I wasn't going to show her that I was shocked too.

"No, nobody can just fend off that witch," She used the word with such a surge of venom that I shrank back involuntarily. "He's going to bloody get himself killed." Fire was springing up in her eyes and I knew that whatever was going to come out of her mouth next was going to be bad. "We're going in there."

"No we're not!" I looked down at the small, immovable girl and was happy not to have to meet her eyes, which were probably flaming in stubbornness. "You heard what Piroc said, and as much as I might despise the Mandalorian, I'm loathed to admit he's right. You are the most valuable thing on this planet, and that witch would go to Mustafar and back just to have you. I don't know why you're so important, other than that you're talented with the Force, but Lunais obviously wants something."

She turned her eyes on me and I was surprised to see that they were wide. "So the witch has a name," She said sourly and traces of pure contempt flitted across her eyes. "I'm surprised."

"It's a name…" I ventured hesitantly and waited to figure out what on earth Naelah was talking about.

"She's a Dark Sider, they aren't supposed to have names." Her response was so deliberately baleful I could hear the cold, hard ice chipping off every word. Someone so warm and so young should not have that tone in her voice, and it was almost impossible for me to stand next to Naelah without shaking the undisguised maliciousness out of her.

But then, things began to click. "Jedi are supposed to be everything good," I started slowly, amazed by my own thoughts. "And aren't the Sith everything opposite?" I didn't wait for her answer and just kept on going, "But there are so few Jedi in the galaxy right now because of the last purge…do you think that Lunais is trying to recruit you? It would seem logical, wouldn't it? Your Force powers are unstable at this point, as is your emotional level; perhaps she's hoping that she'd be able to harness you in based on all this instability you're suffering right now."

Naelah's mouth fell open as she stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. She tried several times to argue my point, I could just see it in the way she held her mouth and the way her head moved against what I was saying, but she couldn't find the words. She knew I was right, or at least mostly right to cause her worry.

"Dark Siders'll prey on instability," I repeated vaguely while letting my eyes follow Piroc again. "It only makes sense." I was beginning to realize just how valuable Naelah was to the Dark Side, and it scared me to think of her joining them—yellow eyes gleaming sickeningly in the hazy dark shadow she would construct around her, the pleasant color of her face going wan with abusing those powers that meant so dear to some…it was all too much.

As if she could see her reflection in my blank eyes, she swallowed hard and grabbed my arm. "I have to get out of here," She whispered in a childishly frightened voice. "If I stay I'm going to become one of them and that's something I can't do." Tears welled up in her brown eyes, and I was surprised at how much emotion was coming from these simple statements.

"We won't let them get you," I reminded her, soothing her like a father would do to his child. "You don't have to worry Naelah, we're going to protect you."

Her lips trembled as she continued to stare into my eyes with her wide, tortured ones. "That's what I'm afraid of." I blanched at her for a moment, but what she said next stopped me: "I'm afraid you'll get hurt protecting me, I'm afraid you'll die. Look at Piroc; because of me he's probably going to end up dying out there—I'll never be able to live another day if I caused his death or yours."

"You can't be worried about that Naelah," I reminded her quickly and a tense feeling coiled up in my gut, warning me that all hell was about to break loose. "You just can't be alright? Right now I have to worry about getting you on that damned shuttle and getting you off this forsaken planet." My words were tight and I saw a flash of recognition in Naelah's eyes, she knew what was coming.

"We're leaving," She said bluntly and turned on her heel. "We're leaving, _now_."

"I know," I acquiesced easily and looked back at the landing platform, expecting to see a heavy battle raging.

I was wrong.

Only one person was on that platform now.

It looked like Sterlo and Naelah both were as shocked as I was as I limped over to them. Sterlo may have been too excited and naïve, but we didn't have time to sit around. Lunais may have been gone, but she was bound to have a lot of friends that'd line up to see me and anyone around me dead.

"Let's go," I commanded through my helmet's voice filter. Even through the almost-electronic filtering, I sounded tired and pained. I wonder if either of the two could hear the weariness in my voice.

Naelah stared up at me wide-eyed. "You're injured!" I didn't even know what to say to the blatantly obvious statement.

"Get the _fierfek_ on your feet and to the shuttle." I limped past the two dumbfounded teenagers towards the _Lambda_-class shuttle parked on the main platform. Damn, Imperial hardware had never looked so welcoming.

Sterlo got up and pulled Naelah to her feet. "What in the hell just happened? Where did Lunais—"

"She's over the side," I muttered. "But she's bound to have friends. We're getting offworld and to Nar Shaddaa." I had reached the boarding ramp, and accessing the governor's data one final time, opened the hatch into the shuttle.

"Nar Shaddaa? Why? The Rebellion wouldn't be on the Smuggler's Moon."

"Of course they wouldn't. But I'm not going to the Rebellion in an Imperial shuttle. That's bound to attract a lot of attention and probably get us shot at."

"We're ditching the shuttle?" Sterlo asked, his voice flat with surprise.

"Yes." I got into the cockpit of the shuttle and threw my bag down on the deck as I seated myself in the pilot's chair. "I have an associate there. He'll get rid of the shuttle and hopefully divert attention from us for a while." I powered the shuttle on with a flick of a couple of switches, and I felt the engines hum to life. Naelah sat down in the copilot's seat, and Sterlo took a spot at one of the side consoles. "Sterlo, that console controls weaponry. We're not off this rock yet, and I'm expecting trouble. Look it over and figure out how to shoot things."

"Got it." The Sorrusian began looking over the controls in earnest as I eased the shuttle off the deck, just as a contingent of Imperial stormtroopers stormed out onto the platform, firing uselessly at the rising shuttle.

As we took off and banked out and over the second platform, I looked out the cockpit canopy at the cliffs below.

Something there caught my attention.

Or, rather, something that _wasn't _there caught my attention.

Lunais' body was gone.

"We're gonna have one hell of a time getting out of here, Piroc," I snapped impatiently as his attention refocused elsewhere. "You do realize that that witch has probably got a freaking Star Destroyer just waiting for us to escape." Glancing around the corner from my little pocket by the defense controls, I watched him slide mechanically into his seat and start flicking on controls. Grumbling underneath my breath, I turned toward the confusing, and not-so confusing controllers of the weapons system. _Piece of cake,_ I deduced after a minute of scanning.

"As much as I hate to say this, Sterlo's probably right."

I whipped around in my seat and saw Naelah looking at Piroc through weary eyes. _Since when did she look so drained?_ I found myself wondering as I looked over her features. Ever the Bilbringi princess of sorts, she still maintained her composure and regal air, but there was an underlying current of exhaustion and depression perhaps? I couldn't tell for sure, but the lines of stress and worry glared from the usual smooth skin on her face.

"I'm well aware of the situation," Piroc snapped back.

"Well it looked like—"

"Shut up for one damn minute."

Naelah quieted, instantly admonished by Piroc's brutal tones. Her gaze fell onto her hands, which were interlocked and resting in the expanse of her lap. She looked like she was about to cry.

"That was completely unnecessary, Piroc," I practically yelled. "She's a child; she doesn't need to be treated like vermin. She's done nothing wrong!"

"When you're done being sensitive, get your _shebs_ back to the controls and memorize them back to front. You control the guns and you need to be focused. I'm not going to have your head drowned out with sympathy."

"Naelah may take that bantha crap, but I'm not going to stand for it," I growled in response and threw myself away from the controls. "You have no idea what the fierfek is going on, do you?"

"Stop it," Naelah commanded as she stood up. "We have bigger fish to fry than your issues." She glared pointedly at me for a moment, and then switched her gaze to Piroc. "We have to get out of here alive, right?" Turning back to me, she waved her hand briefly and started heading my way.

"What?" I sputtered, not getting the idea.

"If you're not going to sit your ass back down I'm taking over. Someone has to operate the defense systems around here."

I gaped, still unsure if she was joking or not.

"Sterlo, I'm serious." Resting her hands on the back of the chair's headrest, she stared up at me and I caught a flicker of that Tieres determination in her eyes. "Are you going to move or not?"

"You," I started while pulling her away from the controls, "need to get into the back and rest. You've been tortured, beaten and awake for far too long. It's time you get some sleep."

Frowning, Naelah shook her head at me. "I'm not—"

"You are," Came Piroc's gruff intonation.

Her features hardened at once, but she didn't argue anymore. "Fine," She snapped wearily. "I'll go into the back and lie down like a kriffing damsel in distress." She wasn't pleased, that much was obvious. Tearing herself away from me, Naelah moved around me and headed toward the back of the shuttle, frustration in every step she took.

"Glad she didn't put up too much of a fight," I muttered, mostly to myself than anyone else.

"Yeah," Piroc answered. "Now, do what the girl ordered and sit your ass down." There was an undercurrent of sarcasm in his voice, but for the most part he was sobering up. "We have a battle to win."

"Abso-bloody-lutely," I whooped in response and whirled back into the control pocket. "Now I'm pretty sure we can kick some serious ass with these guns." My fingers ran deftly over the metal pieces and flashing lights, and finally they clutched around the trigger positions.

"We're off, and so far we're clear," Piroc informed from the pilot's chair. "I just want to get to lightspeed and away from this forsaken hellhole."

"Right-o." I twisted in my seat and saw him staring intently out the front windows, and when I twisted the other way I saw Naelah's curled up form on a bench in the back. I nodded to myself and looked back down at the screen in front of me, wiggling my fingers around the handles I had my hand wrapped around.

"Exactly what I thought," Piroc muttered. "Get ready Sterlo, this is going to be one hell of a fight."


	12. Chapter Interlude: Dark Side Rising

_The Mandalorian will pay_, I screamed in my head. I had learned long ago to harness pain and bend it to my will, to feed on it and strengthen myself. Thus was the power of the Force's Dark Side.

I hadn't yet learned how to deal with humiliation and failure, however. The armored warrior that had bested me on the landing platform would pay the ultimate price for his act of defiance. He will regret this day with every ounce of willpower he had, once I had found him, and the girl he protected.

The girl.

Her power was truly astounding. It was as if one was gazing into the glowing ion engines of a Star Destroyer, the way the power of the Force radiated within her. My thoughts briefly flashed back to the moment her awesome, yet primal, use of the Force had launched me across her cell. If such power could be controlled, harnessed and disciplined with the teachings of the greatest Imperial adepts, she would truly be a force to be reckoned with. How I longed for such power, such immeasurable strength within the Force. I had learned in my years as a member of the Inquisitorious to put petty emotions like jealousy out of mind, but I couldn't help but long for Naelah's strength in the Force.

If I was that strong, Vader would have long ago bowed aside, and I would have been standing at the Emperor's side, rather than the cyborg lackey. I would have become the ultimate power in the universe, but the Dark Lord was still stronger than I, though I couldn't be surer that his day was soon to come, just like the Mandalorian.

I just needed the girl.

If Naelah stood by my side, a surrogate apprentice of my own, I would rule the Galaxy, and there would be nothing Vader or his shriveled old master could do to prevent my rise. Her Force strength coupled with my own sharp mind and experience would allow my inevitable rise to power. Through my rise, justice would be served with an iron fist, and those who had wronged me over the years would feel my terrible fury.

I pulled myself further up the rocks along Bilbringi's coastline. The landing platform rose high above me, shielding me from the now midday sun. I had been down here for hours now, worse off than a wounded animal. I was sure my leg was broken, and my comlink had landed some distance from me. Without the ability to walk, I was forced to drag myself over the rocks of the shore, further cutting and bruising my battered body. I could feel the stab wound the hunter had given me seeping through my torn bodysuit, dripping more blood across the rocks. The Mandalorian had spared me no mercy, and even my command of the Force couldn't stand against his abilities in combat. Few opponents had ever bested me, and none of them had been a nobody that could not summon the power of the Force. Some mercenary thug had bested me. I would teach him a lesson when I next encountered him.

My bloodied fingers traced across a hard plastoid shell, a small cylinder by the feel of it. I pulled my arm back to me, and saw my comlink clutched in my fingers. I brought it up to my lips and thumbed it on.

"Lunais to _Dark Force_," I said into the small device. I could hear the strain and weariness, and even the pain, within my own voice. I certainly hoped Gronnan couldn't hear my weakness. The esteemed captain of my flagship did not tolerate weakness, and he greatly respected strength on the field of battle. I did not need to look the part of a fool in the eyes of any subordinate.

Gronnan's clipped Imperial Basic accent came back over the comlink. "Madam Inquisitor, where are you? We have been trying to reach you for hours."

"The girl was sprung out by a Mandalorian. They escaped the planet in a _Lambda_ shuttle. Did you apprehend them before they left the system?"

I heard Gronnan sigh. "No, Madam. The shuttle managed to shake TIE pursuit and they broke the gravity well before they were in tractor beam range. We traced their lightspeed jump, but we cannot project a final destination. There is little doubt they dropped out of hyperspace and aligned themselves along a different vector."

There it was: a dead end. The girl had eluded me. But they will find that no one can escape an Inquisitor on the hunt. "Captain, send my shuttle to retrieve me. I'm on the coastline below the Governor's landing platform. Have medbay allot me a bacta tank. I expect to be healed quickly."

"As you wish, Madam." Gronnan's voice cut off for a second, presumably to relay the order down to the medbay. "A medical team will also be aboard the shuttle to assist you in whatever manner you require."

"Good. Captain, you are to place Moff Tieres under martial arrest until I am ready to deal with him."

I heard Gronnan clear his throat. "Madam, with all due respect, I don't believe it is within my authority to arrest one of the Emperor's governors."

"Gronnan!" I all but roared into the comlink. "The Moff is a traitor to the Empire! He is to be taken into custody! Unless you wish to die a slow and painful death, I suggest you do as ordered!"

"Yes, Madam Inquisitor. I dispatched a team of stormtroopers from your personal detachment to detain the Governor." My personal stormtrooper unit was assigned to my command by one of my mentors, Cronal. They were the elite of the elite, wearing stealth-enhanced black armor capable of reflecting light to make themselves invisible on command. They could handle a treasonous Moff with ease.

The low hum of a sublight drive rumbled overhead. Looking up, I saw my personal shuttle swing into an awkward landing on the rocks. The ramp descended, and a squad of four black-armored stormtroopers descended the ramp with an officer in a black uniform. I felt two of the elite soldiers help me to my feet, just before I lost consciousness and awareness faded into oblivion.

Several days of bacta had revitalized me. Robed in my trademark red, I swept down the corridor of the _Dark Force_'s detention level, two of my stormtroopers close at my heels. I stopped outside of cell 2-1C, and with an almost-lazy gesture, the door whisked to the side and out of my way.

Moff Enric Tieres was the cell's sole occupant. I stepped through the door, casually gesturing the door shut with a flick of my wrist behind the duo of stormtroopers. The soldiers stepped to the side, flanking the doorway.

"Ah, the former Moff of the Bilbringi sector. The last time you were in my presence, we were together under completely different circumstances. It's a shame how one so professional and loyal could suddenly become a traitor to the Emperor." I gestured, and the man was lifted to his feet. With a casual motion of my hand, the Moff was thrown backwards against the cell bulkhead. The man roared in pain, but it was quickly cut off as an invisible vise began to cut off the supply of oxygen to his lungs. "Your daughter escaped, no doubt with your help. Where did the Mandalorian take her?"

"Don't…. know…." the Moff managed to gasp through his constricted throat.

I sighed. "I expect you to answer my questions honestly, Enric, or I will rip what I want from your brain and leave you a vegetable in this cell for a bleak eternity." I motioned, and the traitor dropped to his knees on the cold deck plating of the cell. "Tell me where the hunter has taken your daughter."

"Madam Inquisitor, I don't know where she was taken."

"I find that hard to believe. How did she escape your residence, where she was guarded by a garrison of Imperial soldiers under lock and key? It was impossible for the hunter and his friend to get in and out without inside help. And they escaped in your shuttle, using your access codes. You were involved. Do not lie to me."

"My datapad was stolen from my office some time ago. It had a complete set of floor schematics for the residence, as well as all my passcodes. The hunter must have acquired it."

"I swear to you that what is left of your life will be many lifetime's worth of pain if you do not cooperate. Naelah is in terrible pain, even as we speak."

The lie seemed to do the trick. His eyes widened in terror. "You found Naelah? That can't be!"

I lifted his chin, to better look into his eyes. "My dear Governor, your daughter is very much in pain. The Mandalorian has hurt her terribly." My gaze bored into his hurt eyes, watering with tears for his daughter. "I can sense her anguish in the Force. If you don't tell me where she is, I cannot save her from her pain, and the hunter you made the mistake of hiring will no doubt kill her. Is that what you want for your daughter?"

His tears were free-flowing now, running like small waterfalls down his cheeks and to the deck plates of the Spartan cell. "You can't let him hurt Naelah!" he wailed. "Please." He reached out, desperately pulling at my flowing robes. Pitiful, naïve fool. The two stormtroopers lifted their rifles cautiously, in case he tried something poorly-thought out. The pathetic man was, at this point, too caught up in his grief to do anything rash, however. I knelt down beside him, acting the part of a sympathetic fellow Imperial.

"The Mandalorian will take her to the Rebels, Governor." I looked at him, a sad look on my face. "They will use her to get to you. You can stop this all now. Just tell me where I can find her." I put a hand on his shoulder, feigning sympathy with all my being. I reached out with the Force, gently soothing his sorrow. It was not often I worked like this.

"I honestly don't know. I know how to find him though, if he took my shuttle."

Of course he did. It couldn't be hard to track an Imperial shuttle in the lawless reaches of the Outer Rim they were bound to run to. If he knew the shuttle's transponder codes, we could track it across the traffic grid of whatever world they were headed to. The only problem was the sheer amount of worlds they could run to. Then a thought crossed my mind, a sudden flash of insight I hadn't thought of before. "Governor, where would he stop first to resupply? He destroyed his ship on Bilbringi, and he no doubt needs to rearm and regroup."

The man thought for a moment. He was still blinking back tears for his daughter, but I could tell his mind was racing. He had fallen for my charade. "I can't think of any place where he would run. Except, possibly, for one.

"Nar Shaddaa."

I swept onto the bridge of the _Dark Force_ like a triumphant conqueror. The Mandalorian and his allies had several days head start, but I knew where they were headed. My prey would finally be mine. And the Mandalorian would pay for his embarrassment of me. I would see to that.

Captain Gronnan turned from the navigation officer he was speaking to. "Madam Inquisitor, the bridge is yours. Do you have our coordinates?"

"Make with all possible speed to the Y'Toub System. Their likely destination is the Smuggler's Moon." I stopped partway down the command deck, between the two crew pits. "Alert _Master of Death _and _Fallen Hope_ that we depart in six hours for Nar Shaddaa. Summon the _Immobilizer-_class cruiser _Rapier _to join us in-system to prevent their escape."

The captain nodded. "As ordered, Madam." He turned to the comm officer. "Relay the departure orders to the rest of the battle group. Inform the _Rapier _to join us in the Y'toub system a half hour after our in-system arrival."

"Yes, sir."

Gronnan turned back to me. "Madam Inquisitor, how can you guarantee the hunter's surrender? He's proven unpredictable before, and he'll no doubt be able to engineer an escape."

I glared at him. "The Mandalorian can be forced to comply with our forces just as easily as any other mercenary. And, even if he does manage to elude us again, we have a bargaining chip."

It took Gronnan a second to catch on. "Governor Tieres?"

"Naelah won't let her father come to harm. Families are often like that." A smile slowly crept from the corners of my mouth. "When we have the girl and her protectors cornered, they will have no choice but to surrender to us."

"Madam Inquisitor," the comm officer shouted from the crew pit. "Message from the Star Dreadnought _Executor_ for you. Lord Vader requests your response."

I sighed. "Excuse me, Captain." I swept from the bridge proper to the holocomm transceiver at the rear of the tower. If there was one person in the Galaxy I truly hated, it was Darth Vader. Even my hatred for the Mandalorian, despite his embarrassment of me, was nothing like how I hated Vader. One day, I would gain the power to destroy him and take the title of Sith Lord from him. I reached the transceiver, and with a gesture, the holocomm came to life.

The ominous figure of the Sith Lord flared to life, rendered life-size before me. He towered over me, a nightmarish figure of black armor. His signature mechanical breathing echoed through the bridge, where the entire crew had fallen silent. A pin could have dropped, and it would have echoed across the command deck.

I looked up into the obsidian ovoid eyes o f the Dark Lord, refusing to be fearful before Vader. His baritone, mechanical voice rumbled to life. "Inquisitor Lunais, what is the situation with Tieres' daughter? I have received reports of the destruction of Imperial property of Bilbringi. I want a report. Now."

I glared back at the Dark Lord of the Sith. "My lord, do not fret. I have the situation well in hand. Naelah Tieres will be in Imperial hands soon enough."

The black-clad figure shifted as Vader moved his hands down to his waist, spreading his cape wide. If it were anyone else, his massive frame would have been intimidating. I, however, wouldn't play his game. "I would hope so, for your sake, Inquisitor. The Emperor has taken a personal interest in Tieres, and my Master does not tolerate failure, even from a trusted pawn such as you."

"I am no pawn," I shot back. "Tieres will be mine. You can be sure of that."

"Ours," he corrected. "Do not delude yourself with ambitions towards power. It will prove costly to you." I would have to choose my words more carefully in the future.

"Lord Vader, you worry for nothing. I have a plan that cannot fail. Tieres will soon fall to the Dark Side. In no more than a fortnight the girl will have embraced her destiny." _And stand at my side to destroy you, I silently added._

"I look forward to a report of your success," Vader's voice rumbled. "I trust I don't have to remind you of the price of failure."

"Of course not. It's a waste of your breath, my lord. I don't intend to fail."

The Dark Lord lifted a hand and gestured at me with his finger. "Remember your place, Lunais. If you fail, the consequences will be costly. The Emperor will not tolerate your failure again."

I bowed. "As you wish, my lord." I'd play his game for now. Either way, I would have the last laugh. "I have your approval to proceed then?"

Vader paused. "Yes, but do not forget the price of failure. The Emperor is already displeased with your allowing her to escape once. You may be one of his favorite agents, but you are replaceable. And there are many who would gladly take your place."

"I will not fail, Lord Vader."

"We will see." And with that, he cut the transmission.

I stood there for a moment. The pieces were falling into place. I did not lie to Vader. I had a plan worthy of the Emperor himself; Naelah would fall to the Dark Side. It was inevitable. She would serve me, and we would overthrow Vader and Palpatine, and the Empire would be mine. I swept back onto the bridge, my red cloak billowing behind me. Gronnan came up to me from the port crew pit and saluted. "Captain Gronnan, have Team 3 deploy to Imperial Center for an assassination mission. I will provide the targets upon their arrival at the capitol personally. Then prepare my fleet for lightspeed. We have an appointment in the Y'toub system."

The ever-so-loyal officer nodded. "As you wish, Madam." He began to move about the bridge, issuing orders to the crew. I turned and left the bridge for my private quarters. There was much to meditate on, and I had a loyal agent, one Gronnan was not aware of, to contact, for he had a part to play in this grand masterpiece too.

My time was at hand.


	13. Chapter XI: The Smuggler's Moon

**Somewhere in hyperspace**

_I heard nothing out of the ordinary as I finally opened my eyes after a rather unnecessary nap Piroc had forced upon me. _Rubbing the sleep from them, I looked around for a little bit to try and acclimate myself to the surroundings; and yet, I still heard nothing but the normal humming of a ship as it cut through hyperspace. I frowned. Something didn't seem right.

Cautiously, I uncurled my limbs individually from the position they had been set in. As I did so, I heard various cracks and pops as my stiffened joints moved. Wincing, I tried to assure myself that it was all normal, but Lunais' torture sessions had really taken too much out of me for any bodily reaction to be considered normal.

I wiped a hand across my face, and then pushed some stray hair off my face before finally standing and stretching out my back. I cursed Piroc for making me nap in such an uncomfortable chair; if he had wanted me to rejuvenate myself, it would have made much more sense if I had had a comfortable chair to sleep in.

But, instead of continuing to curse Piroc, my curiosity overwhelmed me and I decided to head up the hold of the ship into the cockpit to find out why Imperial ships no longer followed us, and how we happened to get into hyperspace without a terrible struggle.

"Do you have anything on the readouts?" Piroc questioned, and he actually sounded a little bored.

"Not at all, just like the previous five hundred times you've asked me."

"It wasn't five hundred times," he corrected lazily.

"Still bothering you?" Sterlo blurted without preamble.

Piroc remained silent for a few contemplative seconds, but then he said, "What?"

"Why the Imperials just stopped. I mean, Naelah would make quite the profit and it's obvious that Lunais is keenly interested in her. So tell me, why would they stop hunting us? We made it to hyperspace with a bit of a glitch, but that was all."

"It's curious, yes. Naelah's valuable, and Lunais is clearly interested. Perhaps there's something else we're missing."

Sterlo looked at Piroc for a couple seconds, judging what he was saying. Finally, he said, "What do you mean?"

"A trap," Piroc said with a noncommittal shrug.

"They don't know our trajectory. They don't know where we're going to end up." Sterlo's argument was weak though, and before I could even open my mouth to point out that this was a stolen Imperial vessel that could probably be tracked easily, Piroc beat me to the punch.

"And we're flying in what type of craft, Sterlo?"

He cocked his head. "What kind of question is that?"

"We're flying an Imperial vessel. Don't you think the Empire has trackers on every single one of their ships?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," I commented drily. "They track their Senators and citizens, so what would prevent them from tagging all of their ships?" Taking a step, I finally entered the cockpit as Sterlo and Piroc swung around to face me.

"Half their citizens were in their ranks anyways, so of course Palpatine would have them tracked." Piroc muttered. "Nice to see you awake, your Highness."

"And it's so nice to see you too," I retorted sarcastically. "But on a more serious note, when did we make the jump to hyperspace?" I slid into an open chair and turned my gaze toward Sterlo, and then back to Piroc.

Sterlo said, "A little while ago. I was sort of surprised when Lunais didn't give up more of a fight—"

"I heard," I interrupted. "I was standing in the doorway the entire conversation. Piroc thinks we're heading into a trap, and to be frank, I wouldn't be surprised." I smoothed out the hem of my tunic. "I wouldn't put it past Lunais to do such a thing."

"No one would."

Sterlo shrugged. "Since we're in an Imperial ship, we've got to find out another way to throw her and the Empire off our tail." He made a steeple out of his fingers and gazed at me over the top of them. "Anyone have any suggestions?"

"Well," I began slowly, "I propose we lose the ship first of all."

"Obviously," Piroc said snidely. "But would it surprise you if I already had a plan?"

I whirled toward him. "What?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

"No, but expanding on this plot would be nice," Sterlo commented drily.

Piroc deflected the comment with a shrug as he swiveled toward the front of the cockpit. "Well, let's just say I have a friend who…_specializes_ in the acquisition of different vehicles and various items of a, well, _interesting_ nature."

"Is he trustworthy," I demanded instantly while clenching my fingers on my lap. "I won't just wander into some idiot's clutches to grab another ship. And what items does this 'friend' acquire anyways? You don't make him sound like a law-abiding being."

"Just because he's a greasy slimeball doesn't mean he's awful—" but whatever else Sterlo was going to say was cut off by my frosty gaze.

Piroc shrugged. "If its law-abiding citizens you're worried about, you should check who you have to save you more often. We're all criminals here."

"That wasn't my choice," I muttered sourly. "It was my father who decided to hire you, and I happened to pick up this scumbag for reasons outside of my control."

"Hey now!"

"Brax will get us what we need, exactly how we need it, end of story. If you don't like him sweetheart, well that's just too bad. Sterlo," Piroc swiveled the chair around to face the other man in the cabin. "Set the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa."

I leapt out of my seat and spluttered, "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Going to Nar Shaddaa, Naelah," he answered while snapping the buckles together. "And I suggest you buckle up. We've got an ARC trooper to meet."

I punched the coordinates of Nar Shaddaa into the stolen ships controls and sat back comfortably in my seat. It would be awhile until we got to Nar Shaddaa, and I really didn't want to get in the middle of Naelah and Piroc's heated argument over Brax's nobility.

So, folding my hands behind my head I settled into the chair with the intent to nap a bit, but then Naelah's exasperated sigh caught my attention.

"Are _you_ even trustworthy?" She demanded. "How do I even—"

"I haven't killed you, have I?"

"Maybe you're going to take me back to Lunais when I'm least expecting it," she accused brutally.

Now, much to my dismay, I had been pulled out of a relatively nice bit of simplicity. Sighing, I spun around in the chair and saw Naelah standing and glaring at Piroc, and the latter was sitting comfortably. "Naelah, you really shouldn't accuse Piroc of anything."

Her eyes flashed toward me. "I beg your pardon?" Her voice came out in the most deadly manner, and at once I found myself regretting the position I had just taken up; apparently it was now Piroc and Sterlo versus Naelah.

"Listen," I added quickly, "I'm not taking sides here. All I'm saying is that maybe we should give this Brax guy a shot. And there's no need to accuse Piroc of things he hasn't, and won't, do." Curse me for becoming the mediator of this conversation, because now I had _both_ Naelah's and Piroc's rigid gazes on me.

Naelah stood their chewing on her lip. By now her face had turned a mottled red color, and she looked as though she wanted to shoot something.

"Take a seat, Princess," Piroc ordered with a touch of sarcasm.

She glared, but did not sit. Typically stubborn, Naelah continued to pick at the wound that was already festering because of the current situation. "So, what sort of credibility does this old Republic clone have? Was he a commendable officer in the army? What ranking did he have?"

"You're pestering. Do I have to ask you to take a seat again? I really don't like repeating myself, and I really don't like it when human girls have been splattered all over the cockpit."

"Let's just get going to Nar Shaddaa and shut up about this whole deal," she snapped irritably. It appeared, much to my surprise, that Naelah was actually relenting. She sat in the chair and quickly buckled the straps over her shoulders, and didn't say another word.

I glanced toward Piroc, but he had already spun around in his chair and was now facing out the front of the ship. Resigning myself to the uncomfortable quietude that existed between the three of us, I turned to face the controls again. There wasn't really anything I could do with the blinking lights and various buttons in front of me; I had already locked in on the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, so it was completely pointless for me to be staring at a piece of a rainbow of buttons.

I stood up quietly, and didn't dare to disturb either Naelah or Piroc as I moved past them into the hold of the ship, and quickly made my exit into the storage area. Boredom was imminent, I concluded as I sat down on a hard chair. I had no choice but to suffer through the long ride to Nar Shaddaa and hope that what we discovered on the planet would be so much more intriguing.

&&&

_This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea,_ I kept chanting to myself as Piroc deftly guided the blazing Imperial ship into the landing dock on Nar Shaddaa. I clenched my teeth and willed my tongue to stay perfectly still, but as the ship touched ground I could no longer hold the comments I had been itching to say the entire trip.

"I don't like the look of this spaceport!" I burst out.

Piroc turned around in his chair, and Sterlo just looked at me over the top of his folded hands.

"It doesn't look like…well it doesn't look very friendly," I explained lamely.

"You don't trust Brax. I get it."

"Well, no," I responded shiftily. I mean, I couldn't argue with Piroc; he was technically right. "But I don't like the planet either. How do you know if their friendly to Imperials or not? We've got an Imperial ship after all."

"They didn't shoot us, did they?" Piroc asked.

Again, I averted my gaze as I said, "No…"

"So either they're waiting to see who's on board, or they just don't care. Personally, I believe it's the latter." Piroc said logically.

Sterlo cocked his head in Piroc's direction. "I'm inclined to agree."

They had a decent point, as much as I didn't care to admit. With a reluctant sigh, I unbuckled my straps and headed for the back of the ship. "Well, come on, Piroc," I called back to the front. "You're the one who knows Brax. Let's find him."

"Of course your _Highness_," he shouted back at me.

Nar Shaddaa's entire surface was a sprawling wasteland of urbanization. In truth, the planet reminded me of a mini-Coruscant, but without the nice districts. In retrospect to Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa was the planet with all of the disgusting, filthy streets and sketchy bars and restaurants. Not to mention, the crime rate was spectacularly high.

According to both Sterlo and Piroc, we had landed our ship in the Duros Sector. The sector was primarily dominated by Neimoidians because apparently they heavily supported the area during the Clone Wars. It was grimy, grubby and in the corner of my eye I always managed to catch the slick movements of a pick pocket or two.

"Why are we here? There aren't any bars or clubs or anything of the sort."

"Because passing through the Duros Sector is the only way you can get to the Corellian Sector, which is where most humans can be found. There's a secret tunnel that only a few know of." Piroc answered.

"And I'm assuming you know where this secret tunnel entrance is?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." With a dramatic flourish, Piroc suddenly led us into an old, nearly collapsed building. The three of us wound around crumbling corridors, and leapt over various pieces of ceiling until we reached a seemingly dead end.

Piroc walked right up to the wall and pushed it inwards. Immediately, the portion of the wall that he had touched slid upwards and disappeared. "There's a repulsorlift that'll take us to the tunnel system, and from there we enter the Corellian Sector."

"Why is it so secretive?"

"The Corellian sector is a high-rise district, one of the wealthiest on the planet. The rest of the planet is poorer, and it makes logical sense to keep out the poor. Statistics have shown that on Nar Shaddaa, crime is often linked to poorer, non-human species."

Sterlo cleared his throat. "A fact I disagree with. The Hutts are, after all, such a proud species, and so are Humans for that matter. They determine the statistics, more or less."

"But it still remains a fact." Piroc extended a hand toward me. "The repulsorlift only takes one at a time sweetheart." He explained when I threw him a look of shock. "Ladies first, no matter how stubborn she may be."

Warily, I took his hand and stepped into the repulsorlift. "What's going to happen when I get to the top?"

He pressed a button, and holding his finger above another he said, "Just wait for us." He pressed the second button and at once the door of the repulsorlift closed and shot up into the air. Suddenly, the lift screeched to a halt and a second door slid open noisily. I leapt out as quickly as possible and fell onto the floor just as the lift dropped back down to ground level.

Within the next few seconds, I had righted myself and Piroc had jumped neatly onto the little platform. While we waited in relative silence, he brushed off his armor and then Sterlo exited the lift just as neatly as Piroc did.

"The tunnel's up ahead."

We all turned and headed off the platform. In front of us was a gaping black hole, which was the entrance to the tunnel network that led to the Corellian Sector. We walked quickly into the blackness of the tunnel, and Piroc's knowledge of the path got us through the system quickly. Fifteen minutes later, we entered the Corellian Sector, as was proclaimed by the flashing signs over the entrance.

Well, I couldn't be surprised. The area was covered with trendy clubs and casinos, as well as the occasional bar. The entire area looked as though it were covered in trash and the desiccated remains of people, sticky drinks and only the Force knew what else. To me, it appeared that this would be the perfect place for a washed-up ARC commando, even if it was in the high rise district.

"I'll bet credits that Brax is going to be at the Meltdown Café. It's one of Nar Shaddaa's most renowned clubs. That washed up commando always ends up there." He scanned the area twice, and then quickly started walking through the crowded streets. "Stay close," he grumbled over his shoulder.

On the small of my back I felt the lightest of pressures. Jerkily, I turned around and saw Sterlo standing behind me with an innocent smirk on his face. In his hands he held my credit bag. "What the _fierfek_ do you think you're doing?" I growled.

"Keep your purse hidden." He handed the bag back to me and darted around me to catch up to Piroc.

Grumbling incoherently, I shoved the bag down the front of my tunic and ran to catch up with the two men. Once I caught up to them, I punched Sterlo hard in the shoulder and triumphantly watched him wince. "That's for stealing my purse you nerf herder."

"Shut up and keep up," Piroc interrupted as he made a sharp left. "The Meltdown Café is on your right."

Sterlo and I looked at the right and saw the bright flashing signs that pierced through the murky darkness of Nar Shaddaa. The signs proclaimed all the various drinks and food the Meltdown Café sold, and not many of them looked appetizing.

"Piroc," I said before he pushed open the door to the all-too flashy café. "You better be right about this. I curse you to the Empire if you aren't."

I led the way into the dimly-lit café. The seedy cantina was known to host numerous beings from all walks of life. The last time I had seen Brax, he had spoken highly of the cantina, and based off that I hoped to find him here. The girl would be put in her place, but there was one minor issue. While Brax was completely and utterly trustworthy, he is… well, to put it simply, he's unstable.

The Clone War didn't help his mental condition. I had always suspected it was just being a clone in a huge galactic war, where he was exploited by a Republic he was bred to protect, and as a special forces soldier he saw a lot of tough action. He fled the newfound Empire after Order 66 went down, and was hunted by brothers he fought alongside for three years of brutal and unforgiving combat. It was only gaining a suit of Mandalorian armor and disappearing amongst the humans of Nar Shaddaa that saved him from the Emperor's wrath. He was later taken to fight in Kran Calasandro's gladiator fights, where we met. Putting more than one Mandalorian in the fight was a mistake on Calasandro's part.

I wandered over to the bar, the girl and her friend in tow, and asked the bartender if he had seen another Mandalorian recently. "He wears armor like mine, but his is red and bronze. He stands just short of 6 feet." The bartender, without a word, pointed to the back of the bar. It was hazy from the smoke of spices and ta'bac. It seemed like Brax to hide in the back, out of sight. "Thanks," I muttered to the bartender and walked into the back of the bar.

Of course, the girl couldn't keep her mouth shut. "I don't like this. It's the perfect setup for a trap." Her nose wrinkled slightly at the various smells wafting through the smoke of the bar. "And it smells foul."

"You need to get out more," I remarked drily. "Not everywhere in this universe is clean and friendly."

"You would know," a new voice hissed from beside me. I felt a large pistol press against the side of my helmet. "Take a seat please. I think we have some things to discuss." Naelah gasped as a second pistol came up in the gloom and pointed at her. Sterlo, ever the gentleman, stepped in front of the blaster, as if it would stop a blaster that size from ripping through the both of them at that close range.

"Naelah, stay cool. Do as he says and sit down in the booth." I gestured to the booth nearest her. She opened her mouth to say something, and I cut her off. "Do as I say and keep your mouth shut. Sit down. You too, Sterlo." The two finally listened for once and eased into the booth. "Keep your hands on the table and don't make any sudden moves." I sat down at the end of the bench. Our new friend sat down across from us, both weapons still drawn. Once he sat, he put both blasters away.

"Phiht Piroc! It's been a while." Brax lifted an arm and removed his helmet. The clone was scarred and grizzled. In turn, I removed my helmet. I have my share of scars, but I had nothing on the clone veteran. I have a long scar running over my right eye from a vibroblade several years ago, as well as another on my chin. A few days of stubble covered Brax's chin, except where the pale scar ran from his left ear to the corner of his mouth. That wasn't the most distinctive feature of his face, however. His right eye was replaced with a cybernetic eye. It didn't even closely resemble an organic eye. It was lit a bright red, and the eerie effect was amplified by the smoke. The metal socket gave him a cyborg look in profile. The smile that stretched across his face seemed oddly out of place.

"Indeed it has, old friend." I shook his outstretched hand. I couldn't help but turn and look at my two companions. Their looks of confusion and shock were priceless. "I need your help."

He laughed. "I can tell. The girl is worth a lot to certain Imperial agents." Brax sighed and scratched his head. "The bounty stands at 75,000 credits, alive. And that's a fifty percent increase from yesterday. You also have a price on your head, standing at thirty grand, so far. Aiding and abetting a fugitive, destruction of government property, attempted assassination of an Imperial official, and the list goes on."

"That's disappointing. I thought I'd be worth more after all that." I leaned forward. "I need weapons and transportation. And I have a ship I need to get rid of. It's Imperial."

"There's nothing I like more than destroying Imperial ships." Brax grinned again. "And believe me, I have weapons to spare. Name it, and I'm sure I either have it or can acquire it."

I called up a hologram list from my suit's gauntlet and scanned over it. The shuttle trip had been boring. "I need an assault rifle, preferably something with variable fire settings. And a scope," I added. "Next, the girl needs something that isn't prison garb."

Brax nodded. "I can tell she just got sprang. I'm assuming at least one of the crimes she's wanted for includes escaping a prison."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You know what I'm wanted for, but not her?" I threw a thumb gesture in her direction. "She's worth more."

"But she's not half as interesting as you. And it's always amusing to see what you're doing out in the greater galaxy."

I just shook my head. "She needs something more along the lines of a jumpsuit, maybe with some armor. She needs more mobility than durability." Brax nodded. "The boy will need a pistol. Compact, but respectable firepower."

"And knives!" Sterlo threw in.

"I can do that," Brax replied. "I've got a lot of knives." He grinned wickedly. "Anything else?"

"Transportation. Fast, armored, weaponry. You know what I like."

Brax shrugged. "I can find something. I have one question though: how do you intend to pay for all this?"

"The girl's daddy is the governor of Bilbringi. He spent his life savings for me to find her and now to get her to the Rebellion. I have the cash."

"I don't doubt that," Brax said. "I can have it tomorrow at midday for you. Be here."

I smiled. "Don't worry, I won't miss it."

Brax got up to leave."Also, one more thing. If you want to get her to the Rebellion, I recommend heading to Wild Space, specifically the Cattamascar system. That's the only cell I can tell you for sure exists. Most have gone underground after the Yavin IV debacle."

I nodded. "Who am I looking for?"

He flashed a wicked grin. "Another old acquaintance of yours. The pirate, Harkonen."

I scowled. "That's not even funny."

"It's your best hope. Take it or leave it."

"Fine," I spat. "But in return, I'm going to need one more thing from you. Weapon-wise."

Brax's head moved slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"

I again gestured to Naelah. She froze, her eyes showing shock at being brought up again. A grin slowly spread across my face. "The girl needs a lightsaber."


End file.
